Secrets of the Emeralds
by JudasFm
Summary: COMPLETED! Something very strange has been happening on Mobius. Sonic, Tails and reluctantly Knuckles go to investigate, but when Sonic meets with a terrible accident and is presumed dead, Knuckles and Tails must fight their enemies alone. Please R&R!
1. Angel Island

_Guardian's Log no. 11452_

_The Master Emerald remains safe. Robotnik hasn't been near this place, but I refuse to let my guard down. Chance does not look kindly upon the complacent. Sonic has the Chaos Emeralds, which is fine by me. Even I can't dispute the fact that he's earned them. Otherwise, things remain much the same as ever. The island's almost completely recovered from the destruction Robotnik and Sonic dealt out last time they were here._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Wonder what ol' Knucklehead's been up to since I last saw him? Our first meeting was a little awkward. Awkward as in he leapt out the ground, smashed my SNOUT in and stole my Chaos Emeralds! We kinda made things up between us, but we're more allies than friends. You know; he'd save my butt all the time he needs me. Should be an interesting reunion. Wonder if the plants have grown back yet after Robotnik torched the place?_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_We're off to see Knuckles! I can't wait; it's ages since we've been to Angel Island! I hope he doesn't leap out of the ground and beat Sonic up like he did last time we visited though. I think Sonic's being very optimistic trying to get Knuckles to join us; he just wants to stay on his island and guard the Master Emerald. I wonder if he ever gets lonely._

_--Tails_

Angel Island was a haven of tranquillity in the endless sky. Most people down on the surface had no idea it even existed, much less how to visit.

Which suited Knuckles just fine. Being the only truly intelligent creature on the island meant he was attuned to the land so acutely that he was almost a part of it. If anyone arrived, any strangers, he'd know about it. It was like that feeling you got when someone invaded your personal space from behind, only about ten times worse.

Right now, though, it was safe. Safe, and quiet, and—

"Hey Sonic! I see him! I _see_ him!"

Knuckles paused just long enough to mutter something exceedingly unflattering concerning certain blue would-be heroes and their mutant sidekicks under his breath before—

"Why's he running away?" Tails wondered aloud.

"I dunno," Sonic said, loudly enough for Knuckles – who was accelerating fast – to hear. "Guess he doesn't know it's us, huh? Drop me a little closer to him."

Tails did. Literally.

There was a cacophony of various sounds, namely crashing, outraged squawking and a high pitched _Yip!_ as the hedgehog plummeted the twenty feet to the ground, ploughing through twice as many branches and nests and one very surprised squirrel before landing on the ground with a resounding thud.

"Uh." Tails landed next to the now prostrate Sonic, looking worried. "Sonic? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, great," Sonic answered in somewhat muffled tones. Sitting up, he spat out a mouthful of earth and closed his eyes with a wince. "It's okay, little bro. My fall was broken by my face."

He opened them again and came face to face with Knuckles' scowl.

"If you're here with Robotnik again—"

"Pfft! Puh-leeze!" Sonic got to his feet and stretched up, wincing again. "Jeez, Tails, I think you bent my spines!" He glanced at Knuckles. "Do they look bent to you?"

"No more than usual, and you still haven't told me what you want."

"Can I see the Master Emerald?"

"No," Knuckles said flatly, but with no real belligerence. It was a common ritual between the pair of them; Sonic would always ask to see it and Knuckles would always refuse.

"Cool. But it's still there, right?"

Knuckles stiffened.

"Yes. Why shouldn't it be?"

"No reason!" Sonic held up both hands, palm outwards. "Jeez guy, take a chill pill!"

The echidna took a deep breath instead.

"Not that I'm not _thrilled_ to see you and your baby sidekick again," he said in a tone which slandered his every word, "but would it be too much for you to tell me what you want this time?"

Sonic grinned.

"Knux, would you believe me if I said I missed you?"

"Not in a million years."

"Oh, but I did. Your sweet temper, your charming personality—" Sonic's form blurred momentarily as he ducked the not-quite-playful punch the echidna threw at his head "—and your oh-so-friendly people skills. You know, we really ought to work on those."

"What do you _want_?" Knuckles repeated tightly. Sonic's grin broadened and he threw himself into a tangle of vines, swinging one leg over the edge of his makeshift hammock, hands laced behind his head.

"Okay, okay. I wasn't kidding around when I asked you if the Master Emerald was still here. See, something happened down on the surface." He shrugged. "I dunno what, but it was big and it wasn't good. You sure you haven't been playing about with your little toy?"

"_Toy_?" Knuckles' voice shot up almost a full octave. "Listen, spike-for-brains, just because _some_ people shirk responsibility and treat everything like some big game doesn't mean that everyone's that immature!"

Sonic smirked broadly.

"Oh c'mon Knux; don't put yourself down." The smirk disappeared and he sighed. "Look, kidding aside, _have_ you done anything with the Master Emerald, or has it done anything on its own?"

"I certainly haven't done anything with it," Knuckles said stiffly, "and if it had done anything on its own, I would have known."

Sonic snorted.

"Jeez, I doubt you could get any stiffer without being dead! And even then, only maybe."

"What did you expect, if you come in and accuse me of exploiting the very object I was appointed to guard?" Knuckles reached up, grabbed a pella fruit from the tree and bit into it, pointedly not offering Sonic one.

There was a blur of orange motion followed by the sound of something moving very fast and Tails zipped out of Knuckles' reach, dropping several fruits almost on top of Sonic and munching on one himself. The echidna sighed.

"Alright. Fine. You're determined to talk about it and...yeah, you got me curious. What happened?"

Sonic shrugged.

"Dunno exactly. I was just running with the Chaos Emeralds, trying 'em out, making sure they still worked—"

"Those Emeralds are not toys, Sonic," Knuckles said in sub-arctic tones. Sonic waved a blasé hand.

"Oh jeez, Knucklehead, have a day off, wouldja? Like I say, I was just making sure they still worked okay when something appeared."

"Something. Great. Any chance you could be a little more specific?" Knuckles said in a voice dripping sarcasm.

Sonic shrugged again.

"Can't tell you exactly what it was, Knuckles-ol'-buddy-ol'-pal, 'cause I don't know myself. It knocked Tails out the sky though."

Knuckles shifted an eye-ridge, privately impressed. Anything that could get the better of Tails in the air – Robotnik notwithstanding – must be worth concern, and he was smart enough to know that Sonic probably wouldn't have come to him with this tale unless there was some real point to it.

"So it seems to be spreading itself around and we thought we'd go check it out," Sonic added lightly. "Wanna come?"

Ah. That was coming to the point in question with a vengeance. Knuckles snorted.

"Forget it."

"C'mo-on, it'll be fun." Judging from the grin on Sonic's face, he'd anticipated an argument.

"We've been through this before, Sonic; I am _not_ some kind of drifter bum who goes to check things out through pure boredom. I'm staying here, in my nice familiar mountains on my nice familiar island and doing my nice familiar duty."

"Pity that duty doesn't include using a thesaurus," Sonic said, still grinning. "Look, we go down, we see what it is, we kick Robotnik's egg-shaped butt and you can come back to your duty with no one being any the wiser."

"Yeah?" Knuckles leaned against a tree, arms folded squarely across his chest. "And suppose Robotnik's banking on you roping me into this and decides to get his _egg-shaped butt_ over here while I'm off sightseeing with you?" He shook his head. "No. Forget it. If Robotnik's stirring up trouble, that's all the more reason for me to remain here to guard the Master Emerald."

"Okay." Sonic shrugged. "Just thought I'd offer. It's a shame though, 'cause we were thinking of going through the Casino Night Zone. People gamble some pretty wild treasures away there."

Something flickered in Knuckles' eyes.

"Treasures?"

"Oh _sure_." Sonic waved a hand blithely. "I mean, apart from your bog-standard gold rings. I've seen 'em gamble gems and rare artifacts and pictures and statuettes...you name it, they gamble it. Still, if you're not interested, you're not interested. C'mon Tails, let's leave ol' Knucklehead to his sacred duty."

He and Tails had gone all of fifty yards when Knuckles caught them up, glaring at Sonic.

"Damn you!"

Sonic feigned astonishment.

"You mean you're _coming_? What about guarding the Master Emerald and protecting it from Robotnik?"

"He couldn't find it when I was fighting you, so I doubt he will in the short time that we'll spend in this Casino Fight Zone, whatever the hell that is."

"_Night_ Zone – don't look so disappointed – and you're right, that's not gonna happen. C'mon!" Sonic exploded into action, racing forward until he was lost from sight. Knuckles took a long, deep breath.

"I'm getting too old for this self-gratification crap," Tails heard him mutter as he broke into a run.


	2. Green Hill Zone

**A/N: A big thankyou to Samantha27 for the review; the more I get, the faster I write ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11453_

_I have got to stop becoming comfortable on my island. The minute I do, Sonic shows up and drags me on some crackpot journey or other. I think the Master Emerald will be safe enough for a few days though, and this Casino Night Zone should increase my hoard considerably. Should I have brought some of my own items to gamble, or should I try and pick some up on the way? Rings are plentiful enough; maybe I can gamble with those._

_How exactly do you gamble, anyway?_

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Ha! Knew I could do it. Turn on the ol' Sonic charm and even Knucklehead caves in. And Tails thought he'd never agree to coming along._

_Tails is really bugging me though; I wish he'd at least learn the difference between land and crash. He's okay, I guess; it just gets pretty old being dropped from a great height. This time it was a forest, last time it was a desert. No idea what he's going to dunk me into next – a live volcano, probably._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_We're going and Knuckles is coming with us! I'm glad; I do sort of like him, even if he's a bit of a loner sometimes...he gives me the creeps as well. I think he and Sonic are friends really, just friends who spend their whole time arguing and competing with each other. It's good he's coming along though; I think you can have too much of a good thing, in his case, guarding the Emerald. Besides, he'll probably be able to guard it a lot better after a holiday, especially if he can get to see some of Robotnik's robots and learn how they attack so he can learn how to fight back._

_--Tails_

"So what do you do for fun on that island, anyway?" Sonic wanted to know.

Knuckles suppressed a sigh and, with considerably more difficulty and self-discipline, a strong urge to whack the hedgehog in the head. Sonic had been asking that same question over and over ever since they'd left, something which Knuckles was already regretting doing.

"How many times? I don't. Guarding the Master Emerald is a full time job; you can't just take five minutes to do whatever you two do twenty four seven."

Tails looked at the echidna curiously.

"Don't you ever get lonely all by yourself?"

Knuckles shrugged.

"I live with it, kid. That's all you can do. I've got a duty to perform. Whining about it won't make it go away."

"Yeah, but it still must be pretty quiet."

"I like quiet," Knuckles said, looking pointedly at Tails in the hopes he'd get the hint. He didn't.

"Yeah, but you must want to talk to people _sometimes_. Are there any other echidnas up there?"

"No." For the briefest instant something came into Knuckles' eyes, a flash of emptiness that was gone so quickly Tails thought he must have imagined it. "No, there aren't. I'm the last of my kind."

There was a silence. Even Sonic couldn't seem to find anything to say.

"Jeez, that's rough," he managed, after a long struggle. Knuckles shrugged.

"Like I said, I live with it. You can't change it, so why worry?" He stopped to fix Sonic with a look. "Are you planning on us walking to wherever it is we're going? Because not everyone's got supersonic speed!"

"Hell no!" Sonic grinned. "We're gonna hitch a ride on _that_."

'That' was a small vehicle which put Knuckles in mind of a disfigured go-kart. It was clearly designed to run with two or three people, although it didn't look all that sturdy.

The echidna looked at it, then at Sonic.

"You have _got_ to be yanking my chain."

"Nope. C'mon, it's perfectly safe. We can't walk, anyway."

"Why not?"

Sonic shifted his weight.

"Well...I dunno how they got here, but Robotnik's brought some new robots in. Beatniks, mostly, but they're thick on the paths. We have to take the go-kart; it's the only way through them."

Knuckles shook his head, more in perplexity than denial.

"What the hell's a beatnik?"

"A beaver botnik," Tails explained. "They can gnaw down trees in four seconds flat. If we don't ride, they'll squash us."

"And if we _do_ ride, we'll most likely squash ourselves!" Knuckles retorted.

Sonic rolled his eyes and slammed into the echidna from behind.

"Just shut up and get on, would you!" Shoving Knuckles onto the back, he leapt onto the front seat. "Tails, start us off!"

Knuckles closed his eyes, his apprehensions in no way lessened by the fact that he didn't seem to have anything to hold onto.

There was a sharp jolt from behind as Tails grabbed hold of the pole that was sticking up in the centre and pushed, tails whirring frantically. Up ahead, there was a hum of machinery followed by a creaking sound as a beatnik finished gnawing through its tree trunk.

"Lean!" Sonic yelled.

There was a ten second interlude, during which quite a lot happened.

"I _meant_ to the _right_," Sonic said tersely at the end of it, picking himself up out of the bush and spitting leaves out of his mouth.

"You should have _said_," Knuckles retorted, from where he was currently spreadeagled upside-down in another, less thorny bush. He pushed himself to his feet and glanced at the pile of debris which was all that was left of the cart, then up at the beatnik. "Is that thing going to come after us?"

"Doubt it. But just in case—" Sonic broke into a sudden sprint, leapt into the air and smashed the beatnik, freeing the rabbit trapped inside. Knuckles returned his gaze to the cart's wreckage.

"Think it's worth salvaging?"

"Not unless you can fix it up from a handful of scrap metal," Sonic said somewhat sourly.

"I might be able to," Tails said hopefully. Sonic waved a hand.

"Later, kid. Once we stop Robotnik, you can tinker away to your heart's content."

Knuckles noted the brief hurt expression that flashed across Tails' face and stored it up for later reference; that could be worth remembering. Aloud he said, "How do we even know it's Robotnik?"

"You know another mad genius scientist who makes killer robots?" Sonic said rhetorically. He snorted. "C'_mo_-on. The doc's usually behind every crazy thing that goes on in this place."

That much was true, Knuckles had to admit. He shook his head.

"Okay, fine. I still don't get why you need me in all this, though. You got the Chaos Emeralds. Just blast your way in, do what you gotta do and blast your way out again."

There was a strangely embarrassed silence.

"You _do_ still have the emeralds, don't you?" Knuckles said, in the leaden tones of one who thinks he already knows the answer and doesn't much like it.

"Uh." Sonic grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. See, I was gonna mention this to you as well, but...well...what with one thing and another..."

"Mention what?"

"I mean, it didn't seem worth bugging you for something as trivial as—"

"Mention _what_, Sonic?" Now Knuckles' tone was decidedly dangerous.

"Dr Robotnik got two of the emeralds away from Sonic," Tails said helpfully.

He regretted it half a second later, as Knuckles seized Sonic around the throat and ran him into the nearest tree.

"Tell me he's kidding," he all but growled. Sonic considered, then shook his head.

"Can't. Love to, but can't."

"After everything that's happened, you just _lost _two of the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles considered, then released him. "Hell, I'm not surprised; every time you go after Robotnik you seem to wind up having to retrieve the same gems over and over again. I guess it's something of a miracle that you managed to hang onto five of them. Anyone ever suggest you're a little disorganised?"

"I did _not_ just lose them; they were taken from me after a hell of a fight between the doc and me, following several gruelling minutes of intense physical combat and amazing agility from yours truly—"

"Dr Robotnik's robots snuck up while we were asleep and took them," Tails offered helpfully. "By the time Sonic woke up, most of them had gone. We managed to get five back, but the doc took the other two to his fortress."

Knuckles stared from one to the other incredulously.

"_That's_ why you dragged me out here? To help you get back something you only lost through your own carelessness?" He shook his head. "Screw this! I'm going home!"

There was a blue blur as Sonic moved to block his path.

"No. There really _is_ something weird going on here. If it was just going after the emeralds, I could do that on my own, no sweat. But this is something bigger. I dunno what, but something tells me I'm gonna need all the backup I can get."

Knuckles shook his head again.

"I said no. You want backup, you got the flying fuzzball up there. I am _not_ going to risk life and limb just so you can get back what you were responsible for losing in the first place! I'm not going to be your echidna sacrifice."

"I told you—"

"Oh right, there's something weird going on here." Knuckles snorted. "Give me a break. Sonic, if you think for one minute that I'm going to tag along at your heels because of something you can't even explain, you can think again."

"And if _you_ think—" Sonic began, then broke off suddenly, shading his eyes against the sun with one hand. "Oh. No," Knuckles heard him say matter-of-factly. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, _no_!"

"What's your problem?" the echidna demanded.

"Get out of here! Run!"

"What?" Startled out of his mood, Knuckles looked at him, then at Tails, who shrugged. "Why?"

"Just do it!" Sonic hit the brakes and skidded to a stop, a skid that lasted a full five hundred yards.

"Wow!" Tails zipped in closer to examine the tracks. "You're getting really good at that; your stopping distance used to be about three miles from top speed."

"Yeah, yeah, great, whatever." Sonic grabbed Knuckles' wrist in one hand, Tails' in the other and started running determinedly the other way. "Let's get out of here!"

"Hold up." Knuckles jammed his heels in so hard and so suddenly that Sonic was yanked back off his feet. "What are we running away from?"

"I'm _not _running away!"

"Good. In that case—" The echidna turned to go back, but Sonic grabbed his arm again.

"No! There's nothing there!"

"It's not like you to run away from _nothing_, Sonic."

"Knuckles, _please_! Let's just get out of—"

"_So-nic_!" The voice was perky, cheerful and eminently girlish. "Oh _Son_-ic. Where _ar-re_ you?"

"He's here! He's here!"

Startled, Knuckles looked up to see a young rabbit who was hovering in mid-air by the simple method of vigorously flapping her ears. Next to him, Sonic slumped to the ground, his head in his hands.

"My life is over. Please, someone just kill me now."

Knuckles looked up at Tails.

"What's he babbling about?"

"Amy Rose," the fox said glumly, and Knuckles marvelled at how much terror and despondency could be crammed into a mere three syllables.

Sonic lifted his head and looked around wildly, in the manner of a trapped animal.

"She can't have seen me yet. Maybe there's still time!"

Turning, he dived headlong into the bushes, worming his way into the undergrowth. Knuckles had just opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on when there was a sudden pink blur and something blew past him, squealing excitedly.

"Hey, watch it!" he yelled.

"Are you Sonic's friend?" the hedgehog asked Knuckles eagerly.

"Sonic's friend?" Knuckles repeated. "Uh...of sorts, I guess. Why?"

"Do you know where he is?"

Knuckles had to force himself not to look round.

"It's weird, but he just took off suddenly. Something must've scared him."

Amy shook her head impatiently.

"Nothing scares Sonic. Don't you know who he _is_?"

"An annoying technicolour hedgehog that keeps showing up on my island just when I've got things back to normal again," Knuckles said succinctly. "Anything else is just rumour. And as to where..." He shrugged. "Sorry. He went so quick I didn't see him. He's definitely nowhere near here."

Amy didn't look convinced, possibly because Knuckles had been pointing rather emphatically at the bushes during this staunch denial.

"Is he in that tree?"

"Tree? What tree?" Knuckles said, with an innocent air that might have been a lot more believable had they not been standing on the outskirts of a forest.

"_Any_ tree!"

A wicked gleam appeared in the echidna's eyes; Knuckles wasn't entirely without his own sense of fun and mischief.

"No, he's not," he said truthfully, stroking his jaw as he pretended to consider. "Of course...if _I_ were looking for a bright blue hedgehog in a dull green forest, I'd start around about...here."

Turning, he abruptly yanked the bushes apart to reveal Sonic, who glowered at him.

"Just for the record, I'm not his friend anymore!"

Knuckles laughed.

"C'mon, Sonic. There's an old echidna saying which goes something like this: in order to lose your fear of an object, you must first confront it."

"And there's an equally old hedgehog saying," Sonic retorted, "which goes something like _this_: not a chance in hell, you vermilion traitor!"

Knuckles waved one hand in a _yeah, yeah_ fashion, then quirked a ridge at the pink hedgehog, who seemed determined to seize Sonic in a hug, despite his best efforts to wriggle free.

"You know, I don't think we've really met. I'm Knuckles, and you are...?"

"Amy Rose," the other hedgehog answered perkily. "I'm Sonic's fiancee."

The echidna looked from one to the other, grinning broadly.

"His _what_? Jeez, Sonic, you didn't tell me you were engaged!"

"I'm _not_!"

Knuckles snickered quietly.

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Listen, Knucklehead—!" Sonic broke off abruptly as Amy attempted to kiss him. Knuckles shook his head, eyes dancing.

"You're gonna be out of luck, kid; I don't think Sonic believes in free love."

Sonic glowered at the echidna.

"Oh, you're just _loving_ this, aren't you?"

Knuckles' grin broadened.

"I've had worse times. Though I'm a little hurt you didn't ask me to be best echidna."

"Knuckles, I'm warning you!"

"Yeah?" Knuckles flexed his fists experimentally, moving with liquid grace. "Let's try that, Sonic. No speed, no fancy running; just you and me in a physical brawl."

Amy whipped around to glower at Knuckles.

"If you so much as touch him I'll...I'll...get Cream to fly up and drop Mr Big on your head!"

"Hey, whoah, okay!" His grin now so wide it threatened to take in his ears, Knuckles held up his hands – either one of which could have crushed Amy's skull like an eggshell – and stepped back. "I get the point. I'll be good."

"Good!" Amy turned back to Sonic, only to find that he'd taken advantage of her distraction, however brief, to bolt and take Tails with him. You could go a long way at supersonic speed in twelve seconds.

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

_Who'da thought it? Sonic the hedgehog, hero of Mobius and Robotnik's nemesis, frightened of a little girl!_

He glanced up at the rabbit, who had watched the proceedings with an expression best described as revulsion.

"And what's your angle in all this? You after Sonic too?"

Cream shook her head emphatically, creating an interesting turbulence effect.

"No! I think boys are _icky_!"

"Oh, you do, huh?" More amused than insulted, Knuckles snorted. "Does that mean you're gonna let the three of us go on without spying on us?"

"Maybe," Amy said, momentarily giving up on Sonic. "If you tell us where you're heading."

Knuckles considered. It looked like he'd have to help Sonic out on this one occasion, not because he particularly wanted the hedgehog's life to be made any easier, but because Amy would probably make a serious nuisance of herself if she knew where they were heading.

"Somewhere that I doubt you'll have heard of," he told her.

"Try me!" Amy said belligerently.

"Well...it doesn't have an official name, but most people who know about it know it as Ples Tudak-Oltaim." Knuckles' conscience pricked him slightly at this point (along with a crazy desire to grin or even laugh) but he waved it off. This was for the greater good; the sooner Sonic's train of thought got to its station, the sooner Knuckles could return to guard the Master Emerald.

Amy looked blank.

"Is that far away?"

"Probably not as far as you might think." Oh, this really was getting bad; he'd have to leave soon or risk cracking up in front of her. "It's hard to get to though...you'd do better waiting around here. He comes through this zone quite a lot, I understand. He'll be back before you know it."

Amy considered this for a few seconds.

"We-ell...if you're _sure_..."

"Trust me, kid; I'm an echidna. He'll be back." Knuckles turned and broke into a run, following Sonic's trail. It wasn't that hard; the hedgehog had run fast enough to leave scorch marks behind him, and Knuckles continued on until a familiar _thwap-thwap-thwap_ drew his attention upwards to meet Tails' anxious gaze.

"Are they gone?"

"Yeah." Knuckles was still fighting the urge to laugh at the memory of Sonic's expression. "Tell Sonic that the tide of raging hormones has ebbed for the minute."

"Okay." Tails flew up to the branches of a nearby palm tree and lifted a broad leaf to peer underneath it. "Sonic, Knuckles says—"

"Yeah, I know, I heard him." Sonic glared at Knuckles from his sanctuary. "You wouldn't kid about that, would you?"

"I'm not a great one for kidding around, Sonic."

"You managed alright back there!" Sonic said accusingly as he slid down the tree to the ground.

"That wasn't kidding around...at least, not much. I probably should've mentioned this when you hid; I'm not a great one for lying either."

"What about romance?"

Knuckles shot Sonic a look that was half incredulous, half repulsed.

"Forget it, Sonic! I am _not_ getting into a relationship with you just so you can get your wannabe wife outta your quills!"

"_So_ not what I meant!" Sonic fixed Knuckles with his best glare. Tails' giggle at the echidna's comment hadn't done much for the hedgehog's self-esteem. "I was thinking that maybe we should set you up with one of them," Sonic went on. "At least then they might leave _me_ alone."

Knuckles shook his head, smirking.

"Uh uh. Amy's besotted with you and Big is male."

"There's always Cream."

"Cream is still young enough to think all boys are _icky—_" Knuckles raised his voice on the last word, mimicking Cream's high-pitched tones— "and I'm old enough to think that a relationship with a seven year old is equally icky, especially when that seven year old isn't even the same species as me. The female crowd's all yours, hotshot. Guess that's what comes of being a teen idol."

"I am _not_ a teen idol!"

"No, but give it time and who knows?"

Sonic glowered at him, but the echidna's expression was too innocent to argue against.

"Where are we going now, anyway?" Knuckles wanted to know.

A slight gleam crept into Sonic's eyes as he answered, "Bridge Zone."

"Bridge?" Knuckles raised his eyebrows. "Is it me, or are you taking us the scenic route?"

"Nothing wrong with scenic, Knux." His earlier good mood restored now that Amy was no longer around, Sonic grinned broadly at the echidna's expression. "Hell, you know you take life too seriously."

"I have one hell of a serious job to do, Sonic," Knuckles reminded him, his tone a little too even to be completely natural.

"So what's wrong with a vacation now and then? I mean, jeez, you never come and visit!"

"Point one, you don't have a home for me _to_ visit," Knuckles said, a little more forthrightly than Sonic would have liked. "Point two, given how much time you two seem to be spending on my island lately, I don't think I need to!"

"All I'm saying—" Sonic automatically swerved aside to shatter a botnik before continuing— "is why can't you take five? Even on your own island, you should be able to stop and sniff the flowers."

The echidna shot him a look.

"With the kind of bees that live up there? You're kidding, right?"

"Yeah, but seriously, what do you do for fun on that island?"

Knuckles took a slow, deep breath. This was already shaping up to be a very, _very_ long journey.


	3. Bridge Zone

**Samantha27: Yep...it is kind of a shame ;) You'll have to keep readingto get the full story though ;)Thanks for reviewing btw, I really do appreciate it :D**

_Guardian's Log No. 11454_

_So. Sonic the Hedgehog, Mr I'm-Just-So-Totally-Coolamundo has girl troubles. I guess I find that mildly amusing, although I'd never betray such a weakness to Sonic or Tails; I am, after all, the Guardian of the Master Emerald. Any show of emotion may be exploited by my enemies and could result in my discharging my duties in a less-than-perfect manner...although admittedly it's hard to discharge those duties when you're miles underneath them._

_But it was pretty funny seeing Sonic's face. I couldn't resist teasing him a little either. Unprofessional of me, I know, and I'll probably wind up having to be even colder than usual to make up for it, but it was too good to pass up. Maybe he and Tails were right, perhaps I do need a short vacation._

_Not that I'd ever give either of them the satisfaction of knowing, of course._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_AAAAAUUUGH! Why me? Why me? Why me? Why couldn't Amy have fixated on some other blue hedgehog superhero? And why did she have to start playing happy families in front of Knuckles – who I doubt ever _had_ a family – and why did she have to try and KISS me in front of him and why the HELL did she tell Knuckles we were going to be MARRIED? Me and Amy, that is, not me and Knuckles; he's so not my type, even if I was that way inclined, and I'm not marrying Amy either! I'm not the marrying kind and I'm too young to settle down! There's too much I haven't done and seen! I'm just so glad she didn't call me Sonny-Won like she's been doing recently; if that ever got out, I'd never live it down. And ol' Knucklehead was of NO help whatsoEVER! Bet he wouldn't have found it so funny if Amy had tried to snog the Master Emerald._

_Still, we got away just in time. The only snag was that we went straight into the forest, where it's too dense for Tails to fly, so the kid had to walk for once. We made good time, but we could have made even better time if we hadn't had to stop every two hours for Tails to rest his paws._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_We met up with Amy and Cream today. Sonic wasn't too happy, but it cheered Knuckles up. I'm glad; I'd hate him to be tagging along wishing he was somewhere else. He's always so serious the whole time, I never expected him to start ribbing Sonic. It's nice to know he can do something as normal as teasing._

_I wish I knew why Amy's so in love with Sonic though. I mean, besides the whole saving the world stuff. I wonder if she'd still like him if he hadn't happened to defeat Dr Robotnik lots of times._

_--Tails_

"So what'd you tell Amy, anyway?" Sonic asked. Knuckles shrugged.

"That we were heading for a place she probably wouldn't know."

Sonic shook his head.

"That won't work. She's been _everywhere_, that girl. She even knows about Angel Island."

"Yeah, well—she _what_?" Knuckles stared at Sonic. "How the hell'd she find out about that?"

"Sonic told her," Tails said from somewhere above their heads – the forest canopy was too dense to make him out very easily. "He didn't tell her about you or the Master Emerald, but he told her him and me crashed into a floating island."

"No, Tails, _you_ crashed into the floating island," Sonic said acerbically. "_I_ crashed into a certain echidna's _fist_!"

Knuckles gave an exasperated sigh.

"How many times? I was told you were coming for the Master Emerald. To be honest, I was glad; I'd started to wonder if my job wasn't a little redundant...a seriously unworthy thought in a guardian."

"Oh goody!" Sonic said with heavy sarcasm. "I'm so glad your beating me to a pulp gave your life meaning!"

"As I was saying," Knuckles said, in tones which said he wasn't going to dignify that with a response, "Amy won't have heard of this place. It's only really mentioned in echidna slang."

"Yeah?" Curious now, Sonic shot him a glance. "What's it called?"

"Ah...various things. The most commonly used name is Ples Tudak-Oltaim."

"Ples Tudak-Oltaim?" Tails repeated, causing Knuckles to wince slightly at his pronounciation.

"Where's that? It sounds kinda exotic."

"A close translation would be something like 'the place where the sun don't shine'."

Sonic laughed.

"Oh man, now _that's_ exotic! Thanks Knux; I owe ya one."

"You owe me a lot more than just _one_, Sonic," Knuckles answered, in the tones of one who seriously doubts he'll see recompense for any of them. Sonic waved a hand.

"Yeah, and _one_ day I'm gonna repay you, believe me. Until then..." He shrugged easily, and Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Just get me to some of that so-called fabulous treasure and we'll call it even."

"Well...there might not be any really good treasure in the Casino Zones," Tails said nervously. "It kinda depends on what people are gambling."

Knuckles shook his head. Although he wasn't grinning, there was a definite glint in his eyes now that hadn't been there before.

"Doesn't really matter. You guys still got credit from that whole Amy thing. That alone made this whole trip worthwhile."

"Ha flipping ha," Sonic informed him acerbically. "You _had_ to pick that time to try jokes, didn't you? Jeez, up until now I'd never have believed you even _had_ a sense of humour!"

"Why? Because I don't make a big joke out of everything?" Knuckles said flatly. "Unlike you, Sonic, I happen to have a sense of maturity and responsibility."

Sonic shook his head, an expression of mock sadness on his face.

"Aw. Don't worry, Knucklehead. I'm sure you'll grow out of it."

"I was hoping _you_ were going to grow _into_ it," Knuckles informed him crisply, refusing to rise. Sonic stopped and stared at him with a look of almost comical horror.

"You _what_? Jeez, Knux, what'd I ever do to you?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No!"

"Then I'd say...you were born."

"OooOOOooh." Sonic blasted off on a supersonic speed run, returning a few seconds later to race around and around Knuckles in a circle before leaping into the air, being caught neatly by Tails and landing at the top of a tree, which bent over obediently until he was on an eye-level – albeit an upside-down one – with the echidna. Catching hold of a young sapling, he held himself in that position, smirking. "Looks like _someone _got up on the wrong side of the hoard this morning. What's your deal, Knux? Someone leave a fingerprint on the Poobah of Powerful Pebbles?"

Knuckles drew one fist back to his shoulder so fast it was a blur. Sonic's eyes widened; the echidna's strength was no laughing matter.

"Hey! Hey, c'mon, there's no need for that! I was kidding!"

Knuckles let fly, diverting the punch at the last second to crush the sapling. Weakened, it snapped, and the tree Sonic was sitting in whipped back suddenly, flinging its occupant some thirty yards.

"That was fun," Knuckles remarked, to nobody in particular. "I feel a lot better now."

There was a blur as Tails shot past him, coming to a halt just in front of the echidna's face and looking very much as though he'd like to bite it.

"Why'd you do that?" he demanded. Knuckles briefly considered bluffing it out and then, with the honesty which the echidna race had once been famous – or more accurately, notorious – for, shrugged and said, "Because he's a cocky little prick who's been getting on my last nerves, and because I don't think he'd hesitate to do the same thing to me. Anyway, he did want to know what I do for fun on Angel Island."

"And that's your answer, is it?" Sonic said grumpily, having already zoomed back to join them. "You fire poor helpless little hedgehogs at brick walls?"

"I do if I think it might help the poor, helpless little hedgehogs to think twice about insulting a sacred duty and gem, both of which have been passed down through a thousand generations."

Sonic's eyes glazed over slightly.

"About five hundred years," Knuckles said eventually, after two or three minutes had gone past without the hedgehog working it out. "What did you mean, brick walls?"

Sonic gave him a pitying glance.

"Jeez, Knux, all that staring at the Master Emerald musta screwed up your vision. I mean _that_ brick wall." He pointed.

Now that his attention had been drawn to it, Knuckles didn't know how he could have missed it. They'd been walking while talking (or at least, Knuckles had been walking. Tails was flying and Sonic was amusing himself by rushing to the edge of the Zone and back and trying to beat his personal time) and were now standing almost at the bottom of a hill. At the top, a brick wall stretched across, so far that they couldn't see where it ended. The bricks were a pristine white – which, on the outskirts of a forest and muddy paths, was a near-miracle in itself – and the whole thing would have looked welcoming if it hadn't been some forty foot high.

"What's it for?" Knuckles said suspiciously.

"Oh...uh...nothing." Sonic suddenly seemed very interested in refastening one of his sneakers.

"People don't build walls that size for _nothing_."

"We don't have to worry; we can just go through the door," Tails offered. Sonic shook his head.

"It's locked, barred and bolted from the other side."

"People don't lock, bar and bolt doors for nothing either."

"Oh shut up," Sonic muttered, not quite under his breath.

"What was that?" Knuckles said, a little too politely.

"Can't you spin through it?" Tails asked.

"Not up this hill, not unless..." Sonic paused. "Knuckles?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you throw me at that door?" Sonic asked, then placed a hand over his eyes. "Did I _really_ just say that out loud?" Knuckles heard him mutter, and quirked an eye ridge.

"I thought you'd already collected more than your fair share of beatings from me, Sonic."

"Look, you throw me and I spin, slice through the door and bam! We're in."

"Yeah? Why don't you just spin by yourself?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, at the same time wondering why he was arguing so hard about this.

"Because this wall is on the top of a _hill_, Knucklehead. Maybe you don't have walls on hills back on your beloved island, but I need to get some serious momentum behind me to carve through it."

"I'll do it," Tails volunteered. Sonic shook his head.

"No go, little bro. You don't have spines, so you can't slice anything, and you're not strong enough to toss me anywhere." He looked at the echidna. "Like I said, I want you to throw me as hard as you can at that thing."

Knuckles hesitated, then scooped up the hedgehog in one hand.

"You understand that I assume no responsibility for this?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Knucky. Just do it."

The grip shifted to Sonic's ankles and he found himself rising slowly through the air, upside-down, and rotating gently in a semicircle to come face to face with Knuckles' less than gentle expression.

"_Knucky_?" the echidna repeated, in a tone that could freeze oxygen.

Sonic squirmed.

"Uh. Heh heh. Did I, uh, did I really say that?"

"Knux I can just about live with. Knucklehead was pushing your luck to breaking point. Knucky is one step too far, and only one other step away from something Amy or Cream might come up with. You got that?"

Sonic's squirming increased – Knuckles' hold really was uncomfortably tight now – then nodded.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say. Can you throw me now, please?"

"I just wanted us to be perfectly clear on that point." Knuckles started to spin, swinging Sonic round over his head in an ever increasing circle. Sonic had just about decided to shout that he'd changed his mind, that there had to be a better way to do this, when Knuckles let go and, for the second time that day, Sonic flew through the air.

He had just enough time to curl up and start spinning when he hit the door, hard. The impact rammed up through Sonic's body, jolting him to the core. He was dimly aware of rubble crashing down around his head, and the thought occurred that he should probably move, but he couldn't seem to get his breath.

"What the hell kind of door was _that_?" he demanded, as soon as he had enough oxygen to speak.

"Uh, Sonic?" Tails said, as delicately as he could. "That was the wall. The door's a little more to your left."

"Yeah, I missed," Knuckles added by way of explanation.

"No kidding!" Sonic got carefully to his feet and examined the wall, or more precisely, the hole where part of the wall used to be. "That oh-so-smooth warrior thing is just a front with you, isn't it?" he asked Knuckles.

"You pointed at the wall and told me to throw you at it, Sonic. It's not my fault you weren't specific enough."

Tails glowered at the echidna.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I do everything on purpose," Knuckles answered. Tails' mouth opened and shut a few times, but no sound came out.

"So can we get in or not?" he said eventually.

"Sonic and I probably can," Knuckles said. Sonic glanced at him somewhat sourly.

"Okay, fine. But watch where you're throwing me this time! I don't want to plough through another stone wall!"

"No need. I think we can go through here." Knuckles nodded towards the hole. "And I want an understanding between the pair of us before we go any further," he added coldly. "You swear to watch out for me – especially since if I die, the Master Emerald's free for the taking, and don't think Robotnik isn't going to try for it again at some point – and I'll do my best to return the favour."

Sonic gave a mock pout.

"Aw, Knux, I'm hurt! You mean you don't trust me?"

"You're damn straight I don't," Knuckles answered in a tone that wiped the pout off the hedgehog's face. "I'm not the trusting type."

"Jeez, you're serious?" Sonic shook his head. "Why not? I've never done anything to you. And if you're thinking of dragging up past history, may I remind you that you were the one who attacked _me_ back on Angel Island!"

"You may, if you don't object to my reminding you that your exploits with Robotnik left most of the plantlife burned to the ground. You also drained several of the lakes which meant I couldn't even use water to put out the fires."

Sonic snorted.

"What, you can fight fires now?"

"I can do many things, Sonic. In that case, I had no choice. The only food and water I get is what I can find or catch on the island. In case you haven't noticed, I live about a mile above the planet's surface. I can't exactly nip down to the local fast food joint like you two."

Sonic shook his head.

"Okay, but that's no reason for you not to trust me!" He opened his eyes as wide as they would go, putting on his best innocent expression. "I'm a very honest and trustworthy person."

"Yeah?" Knuckles said icily. "You didn't tell me about the two Emeralds that had gone missing until very recently. You didn't tell me about the sudden re-emergence of botniks either. What else aren't you telling me, Sonic?"

Sonic paled until he was almost sky blue, swallowed once or twice and then said, "I swear."

"Good," Knuckles said, while a small part of his brain that seemed to operate independently from the rest of him stored up Sonic's unusual reaction for later analysis. He looked from the hole to Sonic and back to the hole again. "Shall we?"

"I'm coming too!" Tails said quickly. Even more quickly, Sonic spun around and held up his hand in a clear STOP signal.

"Nuh uh! This is too dangerous for you, little bro. We'll clean the place out and come back for you when it's safe."

"Son_ic_!" Tails protested.

"The kid can fly," Knuckles said flatly. "If it's too dangerous for him, you can count me out as well."

"Coward," Sonic said with a grin.

There was a long, long silence, during which Tails took one look at the expression on Knuckles' face and flew to the very top of the wall. It seemed the safest place to be.

"You get that one for free, hedgehog," Knuckles said eventually, in tones that chilled even Sonic. "Try it again and I won't be so generous."

Up at the top of the wall, Tails let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"So can I come?" he said, in an effort to divert the pair's attention.

"When it's safer," Sonic answered immovably. "This place is...well, it's too dangerous for you right now. Let me and Knuckles go on ahead."

"I seem to have missed the whole part where you asked Knuckles' opinion on this," Knuckles said with heavy sarcasm.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry Knux. D'you wanna go in first or last?"

"Never. The only place I _want_ to go is back to my island."

"Even though I promised you fun?"

"You promised me _treasure_, Sonic, and that's the only reason I agreed to this screwed up journey. You can keep your idea of fun; reckless, suicidal attacks are not high on my list of entertainments." Knuckles shoved past angrily and stalked through the hole. Sonic stared after the echidna for a few seconds, then raced to catch up.

They'd been travelling in a hot and angry silence for about half an hour before Sonic said abruptly, "Look, Knux...about what I sai—"

"Forget it." Knuckles bit the words off at the end in a way which suggested that Sonic's remark was a long way from being forgiven, and forgotten wasn't even on the horizon yet.

"I was just kidd—"

"I said _forget _it."

Sonic took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Sonic, if you think—" Knuckles began, then broke off abruptly. "What's that sound?"

"What sound?" Sonic said edgily. "I can't hear any sound. What are you talking about?"

Knuckles favoured him with a hard look.

"That grinding sound coming from behind us, Sonic. And don't try to tell me you don't hear it; I'm reclusive, not retarded."

"Uh. Yeah. Heh. You know you asked me what that wall was for?"

"Ye-es...?" Knuckles said, in the slow, suspicious tones of one who suspects they don't want to hear the rest of the sentence.

"Well...that's kinda it. See, people in the Bridge Zone aren't too fond of visitors."

"I know how they feel," the echidna muttered.

"They, uh...maybe it's simpler if you just turn and look."

Somewhat apprehensively, Knuckles did so and immediately wished he hadn't.

The wall was grinding towards them. Not too fast – both of them could outrun it without too much trouble – but in a way that said it would stop moving when the sun stopped rising, and not a minute sooner.

"Just don't let it crush you and you'll be fine."

Knuckles shook his head, staring coldly at Sonic.

"And you wonder that I don't trust you. Why didn't you mention this outside?"

"Because I'd never have gotten you to come with me if I had," Sonic said simply.

Knuckles curled his lip.

"I guess that makes sense, in a deceitful, manipulative kind of way."

"It's not as bad as it looks, really," Sonic said, letting the insult slide for now; he supposed he deserved it after what he'd said to Knuckles (although he was sure it wasn't _his_ fault if the echidna had no sense of humour).

A loud bang alerted the pair to danger and both leapt into the air, Knuckles instinctively flaring his spines to glide just as a mortar shell exploded where they'd been standing.

"What the—That wasn't here last time!" Sonic protested.

"Talk to the spikes, hedgehog," Knuckles said acidly, adding the appropriate echidna gesture. "And while you're at it, tell them how the hell we get out of this place!"

"I don't know! I haven't been here for about three years! It's changed!"

"Oh, _now_ he tells me!" Knuckles broke into a run, seeking to avoid both cannon fire and the relentlessly approaching wall. A few seconds later, Sonic whizzed past him and out of sight, then shot back again to say, "Jeez, what's taking so long?"

"Not everyone can run at supersonic speed."

"What?" Sonic cupped a hand to his ear in an exaggerated fashion. "Did I just hear the great Knuckles, oh-so-mighty Guardian of the Master Emerald, admit to _not_ being omnipotent?"

"Be careful, Sonic," Knuckles told him through clenched teeth. "You're pushing your luck."

"Will you lighten _up_, you—" Sonic's next words were lost in the cannon fire, and Knuckles wasn't interested in trying to read his lips. "—follow me!" was the next thing the echidna heard.

"We're not getting anywhere following _you_!" he yelled over the increasing sound of cannon fire and grinding mechanisms.

"Okay, fine!" Sonic halted abruptly, the screech setting the echidna's teeth on edge. "_You_ lead the way then!"

Knuckles swung his head from one side to the other, then broke into a sprint, Sonic following as the path led them up and over in a loop, then across a twisting bridge which ended abruptly in a cliff that crashed down from under them to a pit of spikes too far below for Sonic and Knuckles to survive the drop, and too far to jump across.

There was a whine of electronics and the wall stepped up a gear as it rose up the hill after them, effectively trapping the pair. Knuckles glared at Sonic.

"Not one word, Sonic. Not. One. _Word_."

**A/N: So what do you think so far? Love it? Hate it? Want more? Please review (so I don't have to ask Sonic & Co to come jump on your computer ;))**


	4. Power Plant

**Disclaimer: Dunno why I should bother with this on a fanfiction site, but what the hell; I did it for the other Sonic fic I have up here, so why not this one as well clears throat**

**Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails the Fox-Thing, Knuckles the Echidna, Dr Robotnik, The Chaos Emeralds (including the Master Emerald) and all other characters I can't be bothered to list here and now do NOT belong to SEGA. They belong to ME. Exclusively. And if you believe that, I have some beachfront property in Atlantis to sell you ;) **

**Seriously; I do not own any of the above characters. I wish I did own Knuckles, or at least had some kind of time-share deal, but I don't. To summarise, if they can be found in any SEGA game or franchise, they are SEGA's. If they can't, they're mine. Though it's not likely my characters are going to turn up here, firstly because my agent would probably have a brain haemorrhage and secondly because Sonic _et al_ are all the characters I can cope with in this particular story ;)**

**Make sense? Cool. Onward!**

**Samantha27: Thanks so much for your kind comments happy smile It's things like this that encourage me to keep updating ;) And as requested, Knuckles shall lighten up a bit (not too much or he wouldn't be Knuckles, but a little :P)**

**BlueCheetah: Thanks for reviewing and again, as requested, Tails shall feature more in the story ;)**

_Guardian's Log No. 11455_

_Following several exploits of brave heroics and dutiful botnik crushing, I am pleased to record that we appear victorious...at least, for now. Who can say what the future holds? It should be placed on record that we have escaped from the Bridge Zone and are now heading for the CasinoZones. Let the record also show that I have high hopes of substantially increasing my hoard in these places. And that Sonic the Hedgehog has been of no help whatsoever._

_Tails is another matter though. While I can glide well enough, I don't mind admitting that the kid's flying ability is much more convenient; it really helped me out of a tight spot back there...although I don't fully understand why I always have to be the one on the bottom. And I still don't believe that it's always been a lifelong ambition of Sonic's to fly through a cactus forest!_

_That hedgehog is really skating a fine line with me. He claims to be a big guy, a genuine warrior, fine. I can't doubt his courage (although his discipline has been called into question on more than one occasion so far). But if he is a warrior, he shouldn't expect to get away with saying things that I would knock a real warrior down for._

_I did let his insult ride though, this time. One thing I will say for Sonic; there's no spite or malice in his endless jokes, and I believe in second chances._

_He'd better watch his step though; I don't believe in third ones._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_So ol' Knucklehead messed up and led us right into a trap. Hey, it's not like I haven't gotten out of worse situations, and it gave me unlimited material to bug him with. After Amy, I've been looking to get a bit of my own back. Anyway, I'd like to see him do better in those situations...instead of the huge cock-up he actually made._

_It was lucky Tails was around, although I'm a little pissed off that he disobeyed me! He could've been killed. We did find a fast food joint not too far away and got a few chili dogs. Knuckles didn't have any cash but that's okay 'cause he didn't have any chili dogs either; apparently he hates 'em. I knew there was something I didn't like about that guy. Tails was broke too so I had to hand over most of my food to him. Jeez, why can't the kid get his own food once in a while?_

_Okay, so Green Hill Zone is done for now, and so's Bridge...THANK GOODNESS! Man, I hate that Zone! Everything's always pushing you around or along or up or down or sideways or...or...any other ways you can think of! Now it's onto the Casino Night Zone, maybe up to Casinopolis as well, and further up to play the Bingo Slides and Pinball Tables._

_We need a new go-kart though. I know Tails could probably have fixed the other one – he's pretty good with stuff like that – but I didn't fancy getting drawn into another mechanical conversation with him. Talking to Tails for too long about that stuff is like a verbal out-of-body experience; the kid waffles on about this piston and that and to be honest, I couldn't care less; in fact, I wish he'd just shut up. It works, I know it works, why should I worry about how?_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_I saved Sonic! I actually got to save Sonic! Wow, I can't believe it; my tails haven't stopped spinning since! Usually it's him bailing me out of trouble but this time he needed me and I helped him out!_

_Okay. Okay, deep breath. So I'm a little psyched. But it's great that I could do something. Not great that he wound up surrounded by badniks though, but I guess even Sonic makes mistakes every now and again. I saved Knuckles too. Well, I had to really; Sonic grabbed my wrists and Knuckles grabbed Sonic's ankles. I didn't drop them though. I may have crash-landed into a spring and bounced off the opposite cliff seven times, but I didn't drop them! My tails are really aching tonight; I've done a lot of flying and I had to carry Sonic over a really deep chasm. I won't say anything though. I don't want him to worry about me._

_--Tails_

"Will you just _thank_ the kid?" Knuckles demanded, his patience running thin.

"For what?" Sonic demanded. "I told him to stay on the wall!"

Knuckles closed his eyes. He'd once heard that counting to ten was a reliable method of keeping one's temper. So far he'd reached one hundred and seventy four, and he was still no calmer. Without parting either his eyelids or his teeth, he said, "He _did_. That wall happened to keep up with us, remember? And if you'd thought to mention that before we went in, we could all have just sat on top and ridden through the Zone."

Sonic glowered at the echidna sullenly and didn't answer. The wall had got close enough to start edging them towards the spikes before Tails had suddenly swooped down out of nowhere, grabbed Sonic– and indirectly Knuckles as well –lifting them to safety and flying them through rest of the Zone, depositing them just outside the second wall. Although Knuckles had surprised both Tails and Sonic inpromptly expressing his appreciation of this, the hedgehog had been in a strop for most of the day.

"He saved your life, Sonic," Knuckles added curtly. "He saved _both_ our lives."

There was a flurry of activity above their heads and Tails flew over, not looking at either of them, making a direct beeline for the woods. With one last searing stare at Sonic, Knuckles followed, catching up with Tails just as the fox decided to take out his anger in a somewhat unscientific but very satisfying way involving a pile of rocks and an innocent patch of stingers.

"Hardly practical," the echidna remarked, then had to duck very fast as one of those rocks came whizzing through the air at his head. Catching it mid-air, he examined it as though he'd never seen such a thing, then tossed it casually back onto the pile.

"Did Sonic send you to spy on me?" Tails demanded.

"Don't be stupid. Since when do I take orders from Sonic? I came because you're the one who'll be taking me home after all this and I like to protect my interests."

"I don't want your protection!"

"So what?" Knuckles said, lip curled. "You don't think I'm gonna let you wander off and piss Sonic off further, do you? The guy's insufferable enough as it is. And if you must throw rocks, don't throw them at stingers; firstly because they make good eating when they're not bruised and secondly because you're only going to have to fish them all out again."

Tails glowered at him, then threw a few more rocks at the stingers to show he didn't take orders from any jumped-up guardian before throwing the rest at a tree.

"And you're not gonna get anywhere throwing things like that," Knuckles added. "Who the hell taught you to aim?" Reaching down, he lifted a pebble that Tails had somehow missed, weighed it in one hand thoughtfully, then hurled it overarm at a fruit tree, knocking a ripe pella to the ground. "See?"

Tails shook his head stubbornly.

"Doesn't matter. I can fly." Spinning both tails vigorously, he took off and flew over to the pella tree where he made a show of selecting the best one. "See?" he said, deliberately mimicking Knuckles' lower tones. The echidna shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. What if you can't fly? What if you want to create a distraction by throwing a rock into some bushes?" As though to prove his point, he picked up another rock and threw it into the stream, noticing with obvious satisfaction how Tails' head whipped around.

"Where'd you _learn_ that?"

Knuckles shrugged again.

"Just because I have a sacred duty doesn't mean I don't do other things as well. Guarding the Master Emerald got a little dull from time to time when I was a puggle—"

"A _what_?" Tails said disbelievingly. Knuckles cursed inwardly. He'd forgotten about this; certain words, although perfectly normal in echidna society, sounded a little strange among outsiders.

"A kid," he said instead. Tails' face slowly broke into a huge grin.

"Echidna kids are called _puggles_? Aww, Knuckles, that's so...so _cute_!"

"Yeah, whatever. Like I was saying, all there was to do was throw rocks at things. I got pretty good at it."

Tails bounced up into the air, zipping around so fast that it was all Knuckles could do to keep track of him.

"Teach me! Teach me!"

The echidna shot him a startled look – this was more than he'd bargained for! – then shrugged. If it got Tails out of his funk, why not? Might even be useful.

"Fine. Grab a rock, focus on your target as hard as you can and throw."

"But I wanna _hit_ it!"

"Yeah, and you will. Don't look at the rock," Knuckles admonished as Tails squinted at the pebble he'd picked up, "you know what it looks like and it's not important. Pick a target."

"Uh..." Tails looked around, squinting against the early evening sunlight that was slanting through the branches. "That leaf over there!"

Knuckles bit down an urge to grin. He'd been much the same way as a puggle; full of fiery enthusiasm.

"What about the tree?"

"Uh." Tails fixed Knuckles with a look of wide-eyed innocence. "I don't think it'll mind."

Knuckles returned the innocent stare with a hard one of his own, although the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly.

"Or what about Sonic?" Tails muttered, not quite under his breath, his sullen mood back in place. Knuckles cursed inwardly. He'd been so close...!

"Don't be stupid," he said again, more sharply this time. "The guy's not that bad. He's just a little thoughtless sometimes."

Tails shot him a look.

"What? You're sticking up for _Sonic_? Don't you have anything against him anymore?"

"Not enough to hit him with a rock," Knuckles said, although there was a hint of reluctance in his tones; the idea really did hold a certain elegance...

"Yeah? Least you said thanks when I helped you. I didn't think you even _knew _that word."

"Why not?" Knuckles said calmly. "You saved my life, kid. I like to encourage that kind of thing."

"Well...yeah, but—"

There was the sound of crashing bushes, and Sonic appeared next to them so fast that neither Knuckles or Tails were one hundred percent sure how he'd managed it.

"What—?" Knuckles began.

"_Son_-ic!" Even the echidna recognised Amy's voice and smirked slightly. Another Sonic-Amy encounter...yes, that could be very entertaining.

Sonic looked around wildly, then grabbed Knuckles in one hand, Tails in the other and broke into a sprint, leaving Amy far behind.

"Still playing with that poor girl's heart, Sonic?" Knuckles wanted to know.

"Shut up!" Sonic picked up the pace. "I thought you said she wasn't going to follow us!"

"I _said_ I'd told her it would be better for her to wait patiently in the Green Hill Zone for you to come back."

On Sonic's right, Tails groaned out loud.

"Amy doesn't know the meaning of the word patience, Knuckles! She wants everything and she wants it yesterday."

"That right, is it?" Knuckles shook his head. "Must be a hedgehog thing."

"You want me to just drop you here for her, Knucklehead?" Sonic said sharply.

"No thanks."

"_Son_-ic!" This time the call came from closer behind them, and Knuckles shifted an eye-ridge in grudging appreciation.

"She really can move, that girl. You sure you don't want to marry her, Sonic? Think of the speedy offspring."

"Nnnngg—!" Sonic tried to say something, failed and settled for swerving abruptly towards a pricklebush. Reaching over, Knuckles broke the hedgehog's hold on him and dropped, rolling over several times before finally skidding to a stop on his side. To his surprise, Tails grabbed him and towed him along, toes barely brushing the ground.

They continued on in this manner for some time, until it began to get dark and Amy's plaintive cries faded into the night.

"Sonic?" Tails yawned widely. "Sonic, can't we stop? I think we lost her."

"You don't know her, bro." Sonic shook her head. "She has some kind of radar built into her—"

Knuckles stared at him in revulsion.

"Oh jeez! You're in love with a _robot_? That is...well, it's..."

"Sick?" Tails offered helpfully.

"Oh no. No, that goes way, way beyond merely _sick_."

"Will you two _stop_ it!" Sonic planted both hands firmly on his hips and glowered at them. He could already see an unhealthy alliance developing between the pair of them; an alliance comprised of jokes at his expense. "Point one, I am _not_ in love with Amy! Point two, she is _not_ a robot! Point three, she is a girl which is reason enough for any weird mind tricks she can do!" He paused and took a deep breath. "Now, is that good enough for you?"

Knuckles and Tails exchanged smirks, then Knuckles held up both hands.

"Alright. Breathe. Kid's right though; we need to rest and this is as good a place as any." In fact, Knuckles thought that he and Sonic could have gone on for longer, but something in Tails' drooping shoulders told him that they were the only ones.

"Aw." Sonic gave Knuckles a big-eyed look. "Is life in the fast lane too much for poor ickle Knuckles?"

"Sonic..." The warning in Knuckles' tone was unmistakable, and the hedgehog flung up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay! We can sleep here if you really want to. But I want to post a guard in case she sneaks up!"

"You know, you're getting a little paranoid about this girl," Knuckles said, his tone so level that Sonic wasn't sure if the echidna was joking or not.

"How would _you_ like some crazed female flinging herself on you every time she saw you and shrieking about marriage to all and sundry?"

"Good point," Knuckles admitted. "Okay. We post a watch."

"I'll do it," Tails volunteered, although he was yawning so widely he could barely squeeze the words out. Sonic shook his head.

"Uh uh. You're dead on your feet, little bro. You get some sleep. I'll watch."

Tails opened his mouth to argue, but somewhere along the line it turned into another yawn and he curled up on the floor without another word.

"You sleep," Knuckles said to Sonic, who was looking at him expectantly. "I can't, so I'll take guard duty."

"You mean you don't trust me to do that either?" Sonic said tersely.

"That's not what I said," answered Knuckles, who didn't but wasn't going to mention it. "I can't sleep, so I might as well keep an eye out."

"Hmm." Sonic eyed the echidna suspiciously. "Maybe _I_ don't trust _you_. You seemed pretty happy to see Amy flatten me earlier—now what?"

Knuckles, who had visibly winced at Sonic's choice of words, shook his head.

"Just...granted I'm not as, uh, experienced as you, but there's one thing even I know; never, _ever_ say or even hint that a female has a weight problem. It'll be the last screw you ever turn." _Or are likely to have, for that matter_, the echidna added in the privacy of his own mind but didn't say; such comments weren't fitting for a guardian and should never have entered his head in the first place. The hedgehog must be having a bad influence on him.

Sonic's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You swear you're not doing this just because you want to see me utterly humiliated by Amy Rose?"

"Sounds like fun," Knuckles admitted, "but no. I swear." It wasn't quite a lie, he excused himself, he didn't _just_ want to see Sonic utterly humiliated; he had a couple of other reasons for taking that night's watch.

Sonic hesitated.

"Well...if you're _sure_..."

"I am. Go to sleep." Knuckles settled his back against a tree trunk and waited.

"You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Now who has a problem with trust? Sonic, I happen to be the guardian of the Master Emerald."

"Doesn't mean I wanna trust you with my dignity and street cred."

"Perhaps not, but it _does_ mean that I am very, very good at guarding things. Go to sleep," Knuckles repeated, then turned his head to stare down the path in a way which said the talking was over for the night.

Sonic considered the echidna's words, then shrugged. It made sense, and if Knuckles guarded them with even half the devotion he showed to that dumb Master Emerald, he and Tails would be perfectly safe.

The hedgehog regretted his trust early the next morning, when Amy's stentorian tones punctured the dawn air.

"_SON-IC_!"

"Crap!" Sonic shot to his feet, grabbing a still-dozing Tails by the wrist and speeding off into the distance, Knuckles close behind. After they'd been going for about two hours, Sonic hit the brakes so suddenly that Knuckles almost ploughed into him.

"You said you could guard us!" he accused.

Knuckles glared at him.

"I'm not as tuned in to this place as I am to my own island, Sonic! Also, Amy seems to be able to move damn quietly when the fancy takes her! Anyway, it got us up and moving, didn't it?"

"Up, moving and _hungry_!" Sonic glared back at the echidna. "Just for that, you can get breakfast!"

Knuckles started to retort that he was nobody's servant, then broke off as a new thought occurred to him.

"Alright, fine. You want breakfast, I'll see if I can't find some kind of echidna delicacies around here. Do you guys prefer dung beetles or termites?"

Sonic pulled a disgusted face.

"Eew!"

Knuckles shrugged.

"Hey, that's what I eat." This wasn't strictly true; there weren't enough insects on the island to nourish a full-grown echidna and so, like most of his kind, Knuckles had gotten into the habit of supplementing his diet with fruit, fish and the occasional bit of meat.

"_SON-IC_!"

"On second thoughts," Sonic added hastily, preparing to speed away again, "who has time to eat these days?"

The next two nights progressed in exactly the same way, until Sonic seriously started to consider hitting Amy over the head with something (originally Knuckles' fist, but the echidna had flatly refused to cooperate).

"_SON-IC_!"

The now familiar call soared through the air. Sonic, who had been on guard duty, cringed and turned to bolt.

A strong hand seized him by the ankle and flipped him, sending him crashing down among the dried plants, and Knuckles seized Sonic by the throat to yank him across to within inches of his face.

"_Do_ something about that kid, Sonic," he growled. "If I get squealed awake at the crack of dawn one more time, nobody's going to be happy!"

"I didn't _ask_ for this!" Sonic hissed in an undertone. From behind him and off to the left the two of them heard Amy say, "Strange, I thought I heard something."

"Why don't you just dump her and get it over with?" Knuckles demanded, shooting a dirty look at the hedgehog as the pair of them started crawling as fast as they could through the undergrowth.

"I can't dump Amy because I'm not going out with her!" Sonic answered shrilly, then winced and lowered his voice. "And I hope you have better luck coming to terms with that idea than she does!"

They didn't hear anything more from Amy that day, or the next, and Sonic started to hope that they'd left her far behind, although that didn't stop him insisting on a guard that night, or the problems which arose when Knuckles volunteered for that particular watch.

"Yeah? Think you can manage it?" Sonic said to Knuckles, smirking. "Or do you want me to leave you for a little while so you can get _tuned in_?"

Knuckles tensed.

"If you think _you_ can do any better—!"

"Will you stop taking everything I say so personally!" Sonic demanded, overriding him and no longer smirking.

"You stop insulting me with everything you say and maybe I will!"

"I didn't _ask_ you to come with us!" Sonic said stridently, with far more emphasis than truth.

"Yeah, you did," Knuckles answered coldly.

"I didn't! Tails and I were all set to leave when you joined us! You _volunteered_!"

"Maybe, but if I'd known I was gonna have to deal with your psychotic stalker, I wouldn't have bothered! In fact, I wish I never had!"

"Well, that makes two of us!"

"_Shut up_!" Tails practically shrieked from behind them.

Sonic and Knuckles did, more through shock than anything. Tails glared at them, paws jammed on hips.

"You two are _always_ fighting and arguing! You're acting like a pair of...of _puggles_!"

"A pair of what?" Sonic said, bemused. The echidna life cycle wasn't something he knew a great deal about.

"Babies," Knuckles supplied, hoping against hope that Tails wouldn't expand on this.

"Baby echidnas," Tails elaborated, still glaring and dashing the echidna's flimsy hopes into the ground. Sonic shot a quick look at Knuckles, grinning.

"You call them puggles? Knuckles, that's so _cute_!"

"Shut up," Knuckles said tersely.

"_You_ shut up!" Tails shouted, stunning the echidna into silence. "You're so prickly, it's like...like...like we're treading on eggs and one of them's a landmine! You may be the expert on the Master Emerald and guarding it and sacred duty stuff but that's no reason to act like such a pompous _jerk_! And Sonic—" Sonic stopped smirking at Knuckles' expression (currently wavering between angry, insulted and utterly shell-shocked) and tried to look innocent— "you just deliberately say stuff to get him mad because you think it's fun!"

"Proving what I've always said," Knuckles said flatly, shooting Sonic a look that was far from friendly. "You just like getting into fights for kicks."

Sonic whirled, anger flaring up in him again.

"Listen, _Knucky_, if you think—"

Something hit him, hard, and he staggered. Tails hadn't had time to grab any rocks, but a two-tailed fox can do a respectable amount of damage if it dive-bombs you with enough determination.

"That's just what I'm talking about! You know he hates being called that and yet you do it anyway just to provoke a reaction! One day you're gonna mouth off to the wrong person and get a smack in the head!"

There was a look in Knuckles' eyes which said he'd quite like to be that wrong person, and Tails spun on him like a whirlwind.

"And you're taking everything so personally...can't you lighten up a _little_? You're not on Angel Island now!"

"Don't I know it," Knuckles growled bitterly, not quite under his breath.

There was a hot, angry silence.

"Just don't make any more cracks about my duty, the Master Emerald or my courage," Knuckles muttered sullenly. Sonic cast him a look.

"Alright."

"And if the words Knucky or puggle leave your lips in _any_ way, shape or form, I will not be held responsible for the consequences!"

Sonic opened and closed his mouth once or twice before saying seriously, "Can I ask you something before I agree to that? Do echidnas _really_ call their babies puggles, or is it something Tails made up?"

"We really do."

Sonic grinned.

"Oh man. Sorry Knux, but that really is—"

"—cute, I know. Now let's drop the subject. Agreed?"

"Yeah, alright, agreed. And _you_ stop making cracks about my maturity!"

"What maturity?"

"See?" Sonic said, while Tails shrieked an inarticulate protest in the background. "_See_? That's exactly what I'm talking about! How come you're allowed to tease me about my maturity—"

"Who said I was teasing?" Knuckles said, smirking.

"—but you're too much of a coward to take it yourself?"

The smirk dropped off Knuckles' face and he took a step towards Sonic, fists clenched. Quicker than thought, Tails zipped between them, pelting both combatants with small pebbles until they looked at him again.

"You're doing it again! And stop scowling at me, Knucklehead; you fully deserved that comment then and you _know_ it!"

"Fine. Take Sonic's side."

"Sonic dropped the subject you wanted dropped and agreed not to mention it, and _you_ turned around and insulted him again." Tails could have howled in frustration. Forget bouncing off each other; Sonic and Knuckles' personalities positively _ricocheted_.

"I'll make you a deal," Sonic said to Knuckles suddenly. "Every time you make fun of one of those things I don't want you to mention, I get to make fun of one of the things _you_ don't want _me_ to mention without getting brained for the privilege. Whatcha think?"

"I think your grammatical coherence needs adapting, but...alright, fine."

Sonic shrugged.

"Hey, I don't adapt to things. _They_ adapt to _me_."

"Then you need to learn, and learn _fast_," Knuckles said, his tone dangerous. "Because otherwise, you're gonna come up against an enemy you can't beat and before you realise you need a new strategy, you'll be either dead or imprisoned."

The hedgehog grinned broadly.

"Yeah? Well, until then, Knuckles-ol'-pal, I'll keep on doing things my way if that's okay by you."

The echidna raised powerful shoulders in a shrug.

"Fine. It's not me who's going to get killed one day because of it." He looked around. "Where the hell are we, anyway?"

"A city."

"No!" Knuckles looked around at the skyscrapers, the vehicles flying in all directions and the smell of energy. "Could've fooled me, Sonic; I thought it was a mushroom grove."

"You're a riot, Knucklehead. To quote one of the great Mobian philosophers, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

"Actually, Sonic, what he really said was, 'Sarcasm? Oh sure, that's a _really_ high form of wit, that is!'." Knuckles quirked an eye-ridge at Sonic in a way which said quite firmly he thought he'd won that one. The hedgehog groaned.

"Oh great. _Now_ you develop a sense of humour. C'mon; I doubt I can sleep now and the casino zones are just beyond this place." Sonic smirked. "Wanna race?"

"No," Knuckles said flatly.

"Aw, c'mon." Sonic pouted. "Don't go back to that dull I'm-so-devoted-to-my-sacred-duty-I-can't-even-lighten-up-enough-to-have-an-iddy-biddy-race—" he took a deep breath— "with-my-bestest-best-hedgehog-buddy thing!"

"That's a very good reason, Sonic, but not the one I had in mind. It's no fun racing you, since you can outrun everything on Mobius. I'm an echidna. We're built for stamina and endurance, not speed."

"Ah. Yeah. Good point." Sonic smirked. "How's about if I give you a head start?"

"Unless that head start extends to the end of the race, I don't think it would make much difference."

"Okay then, how about if I promise not to go faster than...ooh...seven hundred and fifty miles per hour?"

Knuckles gave him an old-fashioned look.

"Just below the speed of sound, you mean?"

Sonic laughed delightedly.

"Jeez, you're _good_, Knux! Okay, fine. I promise not to go so fast that you can't win."

"No deal, Sonic. No deal, no way."

Sonic rolled his eyes.

"What, are we back to the whole I-don't-trust-anybody deal? C'mon, I won't cheat. Promise."

"How can I take satisfaction in beating or even racing you if we both know you can leave me standing any time you choose? It'd be like me challenging you to a contest of strength or power, or Tails challenging either of us to a flying competition."

In fact, Knuckles knew for a fact that even Sonic couldn't keep up supersonic speeds for longer than a few minutes, but that made no difference. The hedgehog was perfectly capable of running at just under those speeds all day long. For the first time, Knuckles thought that it must be nice to be Sonic; to be able to go anywhere in almost the blink of an eye. The average echidna speed wasjust under one hundred and seventy miles per hour – Knuckles, who had been clocked at two hundred and ten when going full pelt, was exceptionally fast – but those kind of speeds were to Sonic what a sloth was to a leopard.

"Oh, well, if you're gonna give up before you even start..." Sonic said dismissively.

Knuckles tensed.

"I _never_ give up, Sonic."

"Cool! Prove it!" Sonic sprang away, deliberately going just slowly enough to goad the echidna into giving chase.

Knuckles considered walking just to make a point, then dismissed the idea irritably. So Sonic thought that echidnas had no sense of fun, huh? Well, he'd show him.

Knuckles broke into a run, leaping cleanly onto one of the blue walkways that were scattered through the city. To his surprise, it caught hold of him, carrying him like a conveyor belt. Looking down, he saw that he was in the upper level; ie, about a mile and a half above ground level. Mobius had a stronger atmosphere than most planets; roads two or three miles above the surface weren't uncommon in some places.

Picking up the pace, Knuckles shot past several people travelling at a more sedate speed, and caught up with Sonic and Tails, overtaking both of them.

"Is that all you got?" he flung back at them over his shoulder, hearing Sonic's amazed laugh a split second before the hedgehog overtook him in a blur of blue light, thenslowed enough to keep just ahead of him, running backwards with a cocky grin on his face.

"I dunno, Knucklehead. Is that all _you_ got?" Turning, he sped away, going just slowly enough to bait both Knuckles and Tails into chasing him.

Up ahead, Knuckles saw where the road twisted over into several loops before coming to an abrupt end and he felt anticipation swell within him. There were loops on Angel Island, but nothing of _this_ calibre...!

Speeding up, he felt the familiar sensations; a slight drag as he ran up what was essentially a vertical slope, followed by brief weightlessness at the apex and a sudden rush of speed as he went down the other side. He'd clean forgotten about the road ending by the time he'd gone round three loops, and by the time he completed the final one he was so drunk on exhilaration that the only concession he made to reality was to edge over slightly to approach at a better angle the conveyor ramp he saw.

He hit the ramp at just under two hundred miles per hour, and it rocketed him off the end of the road and towards a building containinga large empty window frame. A mile and a half below them, he could just about make out people strolling along the ground, and Knuckles was just trying to work out who, if he fell on one of them from this height, would be more injured when his surroundings changed abruptly as he sailed through the window to land squarely on a buzz bomber, destroying it instantly.

"Wow! Nice one!" Sonic said, sounding as though he meant it.

"Thanks!" In spite of himself, Knuckles was grinning broadly. "Oh man! That was _intense_! In_-tense_!"

Sonic smirked, wagging a finger under the echidna's snout, while the surprising thought struck him for the first time that Knuckles was almost the same age as he, Sonic was. It was the first time that he hadn't seen the echidna acting, in the hedgehog's private opinion, like a pompous middle-aged old fart.

"And you thought I didn't know how to have fun!"

It was on the very tip of Knuckles' tongue to say he thought Sonic was more ignorant of the concept of seriousness and responsibility than of having a good time, but he bit back the words and swatted the finger away.

"Alright, fine! That was one hell of a wild ride, I admit." He looked around,his grin fading. "But now where? This is a dead-end."

Sonic's smirk broadened into his own grin.

"Not quite, my red and spiny budmeister. We can cut through the power plant."

Knuckles' jaw dropped in a very un-guardian like motion.

"The _what_?"

By way of an answer, Sonic pointed to a small opening. They were too high to make anything out, but all three of them could see an orange glow reflecting off the walls inside. Knuckles turned an incredulous look on Sonic.

"We're not going in _there_, are we?"

"Oh yes we are." Sonic's grin broadened. "C'mon, Knux, don't wimp out on us now."

"There's a difference between _wimping out_ and deciding not to wander into a power plant!"

"We're not gonna wander in." Now Sonic looked offended, an expression that was belied by the dancing gleam in his eyes, a gleam that only ever appeared whenever the hedgehog got his most extreme or suicidal ideas. Usually the only difference between them was the name.

"We're not?" Knuckles said suspiciously.

"Course not! What kinda lunatic do you take me for? Don't answer that," Sonic added as the echidna opened his mouth. "Anyone can _wander_. We're gonna do this in _style_!"

Knuckles edged away. Echidnas valued honour and courage above all else, but when their society and values had first evolved, nobody had ever considered the possibility of someone like Sonic.

"Cool!" Tails flew to hover just in front of Sonic. "So what we gonna do?"

"See that conveyor ramp?" Sonic pointed to a particularly large one that was pointing at an alcove some ten feet up.

"We're gonna take that and go around the outside?" Knuckles said, not very hopefully. Sonic waved a hand.

"Puh-leeze! We're gonna _move_ that and point it at the entrance to the power plant so's we can blast straight through the middle!"

"Cool!" Tails said again.

"You would think it cool, kid, if Sonic took it into his head to go deep sea diving without an oxygen tank," Knuckles said flatly. "Which might not be a bad idea, all things considered," he added under his breath.

"I heard that! And c'mon Knucky—sorry, Knux—I was right about that conveyor through the window, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," Knuckles said reluctantly, "but—"

"So the law of averages says I'm right about this too. It's no different."

"Wrong!" Knuckles moved to stand between Sonic and the ramp. "If I'd missed the window, I could have glided down to safety. Here, we only get one chance."

"Yeah! That's what makes it such fun!"

Knuckles turned a look on Tails.

"_You_ talk to him!"

"I think he's right."

"Thankyou!" Sonic and Knuckles said simultaneously.

"I was talking about Sonic! It could be kinda fun."

"So speaks the one who can fly out of trouble," Knuckles said obstinately. He folded his arms across his chest. "Forget it."

"C'mon, it's more fun with three of us," Sonic wheedled. "Or are you scared?"

Even that failed to rouse the echidna; he continued standing there, immovable.

"If being scared means not wanting to miss a jump I can't even see and plunge to my death by drowning in a vat of liquid energy, then yes, I'm scared."

"C'mon," Sonic said again. "It's called fun, Knux."

"It's called _suicide_." Knuckles shook his head. "Not interested."

"Look." Sonic sped to the entrance, looked down, then shot Knuckles a glance. "It's perfectly safe."

"Compared to what?" Knuckles said incredulously. "Playing chicken with a tornado?"

Sonic's expression changed, became more thoughtful.

"Hmm..."

"_No_!" Knuckles said sharply, recognising the hedgehog's train of thought for what it was. Sonic considered.

"Okay, how about if I go first? If I go as slow as you and make it, _then_ will you agree to come?"

Knuckles hesitated.

"Alright. But I want to see it with my own eyes, and if the kid flies you over it doesn't count!"

"Coolness!" Sonic darted round him, grabbing the ramp and yanking as hard as he could, an action that had absolutely no effect except to almost dislocate both his arms. "Little help?" he said pointedly.

With a sigh, Knuckles reached out with one hand and shoved hard, sending both ramp and hedgehog spinning towards the entrance and slowing to a stop just in front of the edge.

"Perfect!" Sonic enthused, then glanced at Tails. "You coming?"

"Am I ever!" Without waiting for a repetition, Tails raced forward, catching the movement of the ramp and shot into the air, closely followed by Sonic. Knuckles frowned; he couldn't see them very well from here...

And then, for the first time since leaving his beloved island, Knuckles acted without really thinking. Like so many people before him who had been unable to watch an event, he climbed up onto the nearest object in an effort to see better.

Unfortunately, the nearest object in this case happened to be the conveyor ramp.

Knuckles had barely enough time to wonder what the hell just happened when he was flung off the end and flared his spines instinctively, slowing his progress. He could make out a bright blue figure on one of the walkways – against rust-coloured metal and vivid, yellow-orange glowing energy, Tails wasn't so easy to pick out – and glided towards him.

"What took you?" Sonic said, smirking as Knuckles landed next to them. Close behind him, Tails looked around.

"This is a power plant?"

"Yeah." Knuckles shifted his weight; the metal grating was uncomfortably hot. Funny, he hadn't noticed it when he'd first landed...

The echidna froze momentarily, then, as though someone else was forcing the motion, he very slowly turned his head to look at the liquid energy.

"Thousands of tons of pure energy," Sonic said, putting on an awed tone, then grinned. "Give you any ideas?"

"You're hyper enough already," Knuckles informed him, then lifted one foot. The metal was almost unbearable now. Studying the energy, he suddenly realised what was happening and whirled to bolt, almost running down Sonic.

"Jeez, was it something I said? Again, I mean?"

"_Move it_!" Knuckles shrieked, practically in his face, then shoved past and ran for the lift, jumping and feeling it catch him and propel him upwards with a sense of blessed relief.

"Hey, hey, hold it!" There was a blue blur and Sonic and Tails both erupted from the lift, landing next to Knuckles. "What's the rush?"

The look Knuckles turned on Sonic was as close to terrified as he'd ever seen the echidna, and in spite of himself he felt a shiver of fear down his spine, like a trickle of dirty water. He was thinking of how Knuckles had shrieked at him; in all the time he'd known the echidna, he'd never seen him lose control to that extent, and certainly not so quickly.

"It's rising!" Knuckles gestured to the liquid energy, which was already seeping through the grating of the platform they'd just left. "Get to the top, quick!"

Understanding gripped Sonic and he risked looking up.

"Tails! Can you fly us up there?"

The fox shook his head. Sonic thought he looked pale, although it was hard to tell through the fur.

"It's too far! You'll have to run!"

"Works for me." Knuckles surged forward, grabbing Sonic and pulling him as though he weighed next to nothing, and leapt for the second lift.

"C'mon!" Tails grabbed both of them and took off.

"You said you couldn't carry us to the top," Sonic said stridently.

"I can't! But I can take you to the lift and if we're one on top of the other we won't have to jump!"

"And once again I find myself on the bottom."

"You think you've got problems, Knucklehead?" Sonic said through gritted teeth. "I got Tails yanking on my wrists and you dangling off my ankles! I mean, jeez, anyone ever suggest you could do with losing a little weight?"

"I don't _have_ to hold you, you know," Knuckles grated in response as he lifted both knees to his chest in an effort to avoid the rising tide. "I could just dig my spikes in and climb up you like a wall. You like that?"

"And _I_ could drop both of you if you don't stop arguing!" Tails said loudly from above them. Sonic opened his mouth for a stinging retort, but at that point the third lift caught them and lifted them into the air, snatching the hedgehog's words away, which, if the shape of his lips was anything to go by, wasn't such a bad thing.

"Why've we stopped?" Knuckles demanded suddenly, as Tails hit the brakes.

"Because of _them_." Tails nodded to where a pair of buzz bombers were drawing near, along with an aerial bot that none of the three had ever seen before.

"O-kay." Sonic sounded like he was considering something, then he grinned. "Drop me down here, little bro."

"_What_?" Knuckles said sharply, just before Tails dropped Sonic – and indirectly, Knuckles – onto the metal platform. As Tails watched, both the buzz bombers took careful aim and fired.

"Ha!" Sonic grinned broadly. "Missed me by a mile!"

There was an ominous creaking from above. As though under a spell, all three of them craned their heads back up to stare at the lift.

"I don't think they were aiming for _you_, Sonic," Knuckles said edgily as one charred edge pulled free, showering white hot fragments of twisted metal down on the group.

"Yeah, well, if they think we're gonna be squashed by a big ring, they can think again!"

"I don't think they care if we're going to be squashed by a big ring. I think all that matters is that there's now no way up, no way down and—" Knuckles risked a quick look over the edge at the inexorably rising tide "—no way out either."

**Okay, that's it for now. Hope you're enjoying it and please take two minutes to review :D**


	5. Casino Zones

**Samantha27: Believe it or not, I'm with you ;) A lot of Sonic's remarks about Tails were uncalled-for...I think it was mainly his being annoyed with Knuckles and only slightly less annoyed with Tails that did it :P It's like when you're in a foul mood, you say (or in Sonic's case, write) the first things that come into your head and never mind whether you mean them or not. As to the Amy thing...believe it or not, it did serve some purpose besides pure comedy ;) **

**EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: YAY; another review! Thanks :D Snuckles? frowns slightly in perplexity Jeez, what put that in your head? is honestly puzzled then shrugs Oh well. The answer's no; it's not on the cards anywhere in this fic ;) Or any of my fics, come to that**

**BlueCheetah: blushes Thanks; I'm glad the extra Tails meets with your approval ;) I'll try and keep it up**

_Guardian's Log No. 11456_

_If we survive this, it will be a great pleasure to me to kill Sonic slowly and painfully! If we don't, it won't matter since the tide of liquid energy currently rising towards us will do the job for me. It's a shame though; that race through the city was more enjoyable than I'd expected. I was almost – dare I say it – looking forward to trying out these Casino zones, especially after the stories Sonic and Tails have been telling me about them._

_So. Once again, Sonic's daredevil ways have dropped us in a pile of something warm and brown. Admittedly the last near-death experience was my fault, but I have never, ever gone looking for trouble like this guy! Granted I usually don't have to – it seems to find me without too much difficulty – but that's not the point!_

_I wonder what's going to happen when I die, to the Master Emerald I mean. I wonder if anyone will ever find it before Robotnik, if it'll make its own arrangements somehow._

_I'm also starting to seriously wonder about this hedgehog's sanity. _

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Why do these things always happen to me? What are the odds that after a spectacular leap off a ramp and through the air onto a platform in a power plant, what are the odds that the level of liquid energy would pick that moment to rise?_

_I guess it's my fault we're in this mess. Actually, that's not true; I know it's my fault. Maybe if I hadn't been as tired through taking so many watches looking out for the Cerise Stalker (aka Amy Rose) I'd have been able to think things through a little more. Tails did offer to watch that first night, but I turned him down. The kid was practically asleep on his feet; I'm sure he'd have tried his best, but I'd lay odds his body would've turned on him and he'd have fallen asleep at his post._

_I have to say, though, I'm glad Knuckles is with us (and I never thought I'd write that, particularly given how sensitive the guy's been lately!) If it hadn't been for him, Tails and me might not have known about the energy rising. Knux scared the crap out of me then, although I'd never admit it. I've never seen the guy lose it like that; he's usually so stoical and in control._

_Not entirely sure what we're gonna do now though. Something'll turn up; it always does._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_Sonic and Knuckles almost had a fight today. They've argued before but not as badly as this. I'm glad they patched things up though; it was fun racing Knuckles through the city!_

_I think Sonic might have made a slight mistake with the power plant. That's kinda hard for me to write or believe, but it's true. If it hadn't been for his wanting to make that jump, we probably wouldn't be here._

_Still, he'll probably think of a way out. He usually does._

_--Tails_

"Any ideas, genius?" Knuckles said, eyeing the buzz bombers nervously. Apart from circling, they didn't seem too bothered about shooting the trio; maybe some circuit or other told them it was pointless.

"You could smash them?" Tails suggested. The echidna turned an incredulous look on him.

"How will that help _us_? We're gonna need ingenuity to get out of _this_ one, not brute force!"

"Hey, we're in luck," Sonic said, grinning. "Ingenuity's my middle name."

"Really? I thought it was M—" Tails began. Sonic glowered at him and the fox subsided. "Okay. Ingenuity. Got it."

"Yeah?" Knuckles said edgily. "You got any _ingenious_ ideas for getting us out of this one, then?"

Sonic looked around rapidly, then his grin broadened.

"I might. Think you could throw me at those buzz bombers, Knux?"

"You want me to _what_?"

"Just do it! And Tails—" Sonic pointed at the fox— "you keep ol' Knucklehead above the energy for as long as you can, okay?"

"And just what are you planning to do?" demanded Knuckles, who hadn't much liked the comment about _as long as you can_.

"See that panel?" Sonic pointed to a patch of bright lights, standing out starkly against the wall. "I think it controls this place. I'm gonna try and figure out how to work it. Maybe I can do something about this energy, get it to go down again or something."

Tails and Knuckles exchanged apprehensive looks, both thinking the same thing. Sonic and electronics had reached an agreement some years ago; he wouldn't touch it and it wouldn't explode.

"C'mon, just throw me!" Curling into a ball, Sonic leapt at Knuckles, who caught him reflexively and launched him at the buzz bombers, then leapt to grab Tails' ankles again, watching as Sonic bounced off one buzz bomber onto the next and from there onto the platform just in front of the console. Pulling open the flimsy glass door, he started flicking switches and pushing buttons at random.

"That's not it, nor that either, it..." Sonic paused for a few moments, then suddenly grinned. "Found it!"

He reached out and pressed something that was too far away for either Knuckles or Tails to make out. There was a loud clanking sound as, one by one, the ramps started receding into the wall.

"Sorry! My bad." Sonic flicked the whatever-it-was back up again and, to the shared relief of the others, the ramps extended again.

"Knuckles?" Tails was panting hard and when the echidna looked up, he saw the pain and effort etched on the fox's face. "Knuckles...I don't think I can fly much longer."

Alarm welled up in Knuckles' eyes and he looked down to where the energy was almost seeping over the surface of their ramp. The heat radiating off it was incredible – _which wouldn't help the kid any_, Knuckles realised. He looked back up at Tails and put as much encouragement and strength as he could into his voice.

"Hold on a little longer, okay? Sonic'll think of something." The hedgehog may have lacked discipline, but in all fairness Knuckles had never met anyone who could think on their feet like Sonic.

"If I can just..." Sonic's voice dropped and neither Knuckles nor Tails could hear what he was mumbling until it rose again on, "...and that bit in there, I can—oops."

"What d'you mean, _oops_?" Knuckles demanded stridently.

"Nothing!" Sonic said hastily. "It's just...I...well, I think I might've broken it."

"Oh, ter_rif_ic!" Knuckles looked down at the energy level, which was so close he had to curl both legs into his chest to avoid his feet being burned, then back at Sonic. "Can you get out?"

"I think...yeah. Yeah, I can take the lift from here up and there's some kind of handle I can grab. I think it'll take me out. But I'm not leaving you two!"

"You don't have to." Knuckles looked up at Tails. "I need you to do something. Fly me over to the wall and as high up it as you can, then try and throw me into it."

Tails stared at him as though he'd run mad.

"What?"

"It's alright. I have a plan." Knuckles tensed. If that plan went wrong...well, it didn't bear thinking about.

Panting hard, Tails fought for altitude and slowly gained it, inching over to the wall and not throwing Knuckles so much as sliding him down it. The echidna turned both fists, digging the spikes into the metal. To his relief, they caught and hold firmly.

Something large and furry seized him tightly around the neck at that point, dragging him down until the heel of his boot was a bare centimetre above the energy. Sheer panic enabled Knuckles to scramble some ten feet up the wall before slowing to a pace that was a little more sedate and, he hoped, one that he would be able to keep up all the way to the top.

"I'm sorry!" Tails' near-frantic voice sounded in Knuckles' ear and the echidna realised just what it was that had grabbed him. "I just...I got a cramp in my tails and couldn't fly so I—"

"It's alright, kid," Knuckles cut across rather brusquely. "Hang on. We're getting the hell out of here."

He hauled himself another few feet up, focusing on nothing but the wall in front, then risked a quick look down at the energy. It wasn't rising that quickly, but that was alright as far as Knuckles was concerned because he wasn't climbing all that quickly either. It had become a slow, grinding rhythm; hook one fist into the wall, pull up, hook the other fist in, pull up. Several times he slipped and had to dig both sets of spikes in with a screech that set his teeth on edge.

He'd almost reached the rim when a slender hand appeared in his line of vision. There was a sudden scrabbling on his back as Tails clambered over him to seize it and get hauled to safety. Then the hand was back, this time extended towards him, and Knuckles was too exhausted to do anything other than take it.

Sonic braced both feet against the platform and pulled as hard as he could, and gradually the echidna slid up and over the tank onto a platform. Rolling over, he watched as the liquid energy continued to rise, finally stopping about a foot below the rim of the tank. At that distance, the heat was just about bearable.

"Did you guys bring any marshmallows?" Sonic said. "I didn't think to."

_Oh sure,_ Knuckles thought but couldn't find the strength to say. _Yeah, I always carry a packet with me for just such an occasion!_

Sonic put his head on one side and looked at the echidna curiously.

"That wall-climbing trick's pretty neat. Did I know you could do that?"

"You tell me." Knuckles sat down, rubbing his aching arms; Tails wasn't excessively heavy, but such a long climb was tough by anyone's standards.

"Knuckles?" Tails said suddenly.

"What?"

"Thanks. You saved my life."

Breathing hard, Knuckles somehow managed to shrug.

"You saved mine, kid. We're even. That's all."

"SON-IC!"

Sonic cringed.

"_How_? _How_ did she follow us _here_? I thought we'd lost her!"

"Why don't you just tell her to leave us alone and stop following us?" Tails asked.

"Do you think I haven't?" Sonic grated. "Every time I try it, she just insists I'm playing hard to get and goes after me with even more determination. If I really wanna shake her off, I just gotta keep running."

"Which will probably only increase her obsession," Knuckles remarked, apparently to the sky.

"What the hell do you know about it, anyway?" Sonic demanded. "You've never had a girlfriend."

"No, I haven't, and after seeing the kind of crap you have to put up with from Amy..." Knuckles shook his head, smirking. "Not gonna happen."

"Amy is _not_ my girlfriend! Trust me, Knux, there are no words that can describe the relationship between us because there _is_ no relationship!"

Something clicked in the echidna's mind, something which should have been obvious right from the start and he smiled suddenly.

"You really are scared of her, aren't you?" He shook his head at Sonic's expression, the smile broadening into a grin. "Jeez, Sonic, she's a twelve-year-old kid! How frightening can she be?"

"Tails is an _eight_ year old kid," Sonic retorted, "and I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him!"

"True," Knuckles conceded, glancing over at Tails, whose chest had swelled rather alarmingly at Sonic's words, "but he's also somewhat...unusual. C'mon Sonic; why d'you show off so much if not to get the girls?"

"I...you..." Various words fought for control of Sonic's vocal cords at this point, very few of which were complimentary. Finally he managed, "Look, if she was fifteen or sixteen, maybe – _maybe _– I'd be interested. But she's not, _I'm_ not and I do not want to get into a relationship with a twelve year old kid! I may be wild and reckless, Knuckles, but I'm not a sicko!" He turned. "C'mon. We gotta go."

"We are not going _anywhere_!" Knuckles seized Sonic in a death grip, lifting him six inches off the ground.

"Hey, get off me, Knucklehead!" Sonic yelped, writhing to free himself.

"No, I won't 'get off you'. You've been running like hell every time you hear that girl's voice. Why don't you just _talk_ to her?"

"She doesn't want to _talk_, Knucklehead." Sonic kicked back, raking one heel down the echidna's shin. With an oath, Knuckles dropped him, glowering.

"Then what _does_ she want? Maybe she has something important to tell us."

"Like the day of our wedding, perhaps?" Sonic shook his head. "No way. She just wants a quick snog."

Knuckles shrugged.

"So snog her. One kiss and we can get going."

"What!" Sonic stared at the echidna. "Look, no matter how irresponsible and immature you think I am—"

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I being that obvious?" Knuckles said, his voice dangerously sweet.

"—I am _not_ that kind of hedgehog! If I kiss her, she'll probably think I mean something by it! Even if I peck her on the cheek, she'll hear wedding bells!"

"She's been hearing wedding bells ever since she met you," Tails put in helpfully.

"And I don't want to encourage that! I don't want a relationship with her but I don't wanna hurt her either. I don't want to lead her on and then dump her." Sonic considered. "Maybe I should suggest being just friends."

Knuckles winced.

"Your funeral, Sonic. If you're gonna do that, at least let me reach a safe distance first."

"How far's that?" Tails asked curiously.

"About six thousand miles should do it. Maybe seven; I don't wanna take chances."

"Sounds good to me." Sonic started to spin, only to find himself grabbed and lifted firmly into the air. He kicked back again, but Knuckles had learned his lesson and positioned himself firmly out of range.

"Not you. You're staying to sort this out."

"Knuckles, I wouldn't stay here if you buried me under half a ton of rubble!"

There was a glint in Knuckles' eyes which said he'd quite like to test that theory, and Tails hastily intervened.

"Maybe she _does_ just wanna talk."

"She _never_ just wants to talk. She—oh hell!" Sonic froze in Knuckles' grasp as Amy rounded the corner, looking very out of breath.

"SON—oh, you're here!" Bending double, gasping for oxygen, Amy was speechless for a few moments before finally straightening up. "I've been looking for you all over!"

"You don't say," Sonic muttered, not quite under his breath. "Is anyone else with you?"

Amy shook her head.

"No. Cream and Mr Big stayed behind. Cream said she thought you three were avoiding us."

"Imagine that," Knuckles murmured. Sonic heard the too-innocent tone in his voice and cringed inwardly; although Tails had reamed Sonic out for provoking a fight with Knuckles unnecessarily, the echidna was more than capable of doing similar things for his own entertainment.

"Exactly," Amy said. "I told them my little Sonny-Won wouldn't do anything like that—"

"_Amy_!" Sonic all but wailed in protest. To their credit, neither Tails or Knuckles said anything, but Sonic could feel Knuckles' body shaking with suppressed laughter as he writhed in the echidna's iron grasp.

"What? Oh. Right. Not in front of the guys." Amy giggled. "Sorry. Forgot."

"Seeing you after all this time must have turned her head, Sonic," Knuckles said, the barest hint of a quiver in his voice. With a truly amazing effort, Sonic managed to wrench one arm free and turn to glare at the echidna.

"You know, I think I preferred it when you were a boring old fart!"

Instead of the offended dignity and challenge he was expecting (and fervently hoping would distract Amy's attention long enough for him to make a clean getaway) Knuckles snickered quietly.

"That right, is it?" He shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Guess there's no pleasing some folks."

Amy fixed Knuckles with a stern look.

"Can you get off my fiancé now? He and I need to talk."

"Knuckles," Sonic said in a low voice, "if you really are my friend, don't leave me with her!"

"I don't remember ever claiming friendship with you, Sonic," Knuckles said steadily, as he stepped away, "and I still owe you big time for that fiasco in the power plant!" He looked at Amy. "He's all yours, but please try and leave him in one piece."

"Where are you going?" Amy asked Sonic.

"Place Too-Dark All-Time," Sonic answered, ignoring the pained expression on Knuckles' face.

"He's talking about Ples Tudak-Oltaim."

"What he said," Sonic agreed. "And we gotta get going. _Now_," he added, when neither Tails or Knuckles seemed inclined to move.

"I'm coming with you!" Amy said.

"You're damn well not!" Knuckles and Sonic said in perfect unison.

"If my boyfriend is going off, I want to—"

"I am _not_ your boyfriend!" Sonic said stridently.

Amy broke off with a jerk, then narrowed her eyes at Sonic.

"You had better not be breaking up with me, Sonic!"

"Uh." Sonic eyed Amy's hammer nervously and coughed. "Well, I...that is..."

"I think what he's trying to say is that he doesn't consider himself your boyfriend," Knuckles said, so pleasantly that Sonic wasn't sure if the echidna was trying to help him or drop him in it. "He once told me that no words could possibly describe the relationship between you two."

Amy shifted the laser stare onto Knuckles, and saw nothing but open honesty in his gaze.

"Thanks a lot," Sonic muttered out the corner of his mouth.

"Anytime," Knuckles told him, smirking, then looked back at Amy. "Just out of interest, were you following us for some other reason than to declare your undying love and obsession for Sonic?"

Amy nodded vigorously.

"Yeah. I heard Robotnik's been seen in and around this city recently. Some of his bots took over the power plant. I wanted to warn you not to go through it."

Knuckles stared hard at Sonic, who suddenly seemed very interested in the opposite wall.

"Is that _so_?"

Sonic shifted his look onto Knuckles.

"Well, I wasn't to know, was I?"

"If you hadn't spent so much time running away, we could have avoided all that...that...palaver!" Knuckles shook his head. "Next time someone shrieks your name, we stop and talk to them! I don't care how shy you're feeling!"

"Shy?" Amy looked from Knuckles to Sonic with a look that wavered between tenderness and _awww_. "You were shy?"

"Knucklehead's just trying to embarrass me," Sonic said, glaring at the echidna. There was an awkward silence.

"So how do we get to where we're going, anyway?" Amy asked at the end of it. Sonic opened his mouth to say that they didn't, at least, not if Amy Rose was including herself in that, but Knuckles beat him to it.

"Take a left here and go straight for seven hundred miles. Turn right and keep going until you come to a tree that was hit by lightning. We'll meet you there."

"Yeah," Sonic agreed, a little too quickly. "We got some stuff to take care of."

"I'm not leaving you, Sonic!"

"You gotta, Amy. We need you to keep the rendezvous point safe."

Amy stared at him proudly, chest visibly inflating.

"You _do_?"

"Oh yeah," Sonic assured her, with more fervour than Amy would have believed. "We do."

"Well...how long are you gonna be?"

"Excuse me?" Knuckles said disdainfully. "This is Sonic we're talking about. How long do you _think_ he's gonna be?"

"Well...okay. If you're sure you can manage without me—"

"We're sure," Sonic and Knuckles said together. Noticing she didn't look totally convinced, Sonic went on, "C'mon; there's nothing on Mobius can beat me and you know it."

"Alright then." Amy shot them a dubious look, one which said she thought something was wrong, but had no idea what, then set off, still casting questioning glances at them over her shoulder. As soon as she was out of earshot, Sonic rounded on Knuckles.

"_What_ tree that was hit by lightning?" he demanded, only just beating Tails' identical query. Knuckles shrugged.

"Damned if I know. But there're plenty of thunderstorms on the surface. There must be one somewhere, right?"

Sonic laughed.

"Jeez, you got a serious evil streak in you, anyone ever tell you that?" He shook his head. "C'mon. We can probably get clear before she figures out what happened."

The three of them set off, Sonic racing, Tails and Knuckles trudging; apparently the fox didn't feel up to flying again so soon. None of them spoke until they reached the outskirts of Casino Night Zone and got into the lift to take them to the pinball, slot and bingo machines right at the top, but the silence was comfortable rather than strained.

The lift doors slid open with a _ding_, informing anyone who might be interested that it had stopped moving. Stepping out, Sonic inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of fast-food.

"Man, smell that air. And listen to those crazy tunes! I mean, oh jeez, Knux, admit it; this place rocks!"

"It's alright, I suppose."

"Alright? Alright? How can you call it 'alright'?" Sonic shook his head. "Look, even if gambling's not your thing, you gotta admire the view, right?"

Knuckles had to admit he did. Some kind of machine or shield kept this zone in permanent darkness, and he could see the bright lights of the buildings stretching out beneath him. It was breathtakingly beautiful, in the same way as an electrical storm was; a beauty that was shot through with a strange kind of danger.

"So!" Sonic turned to the other two, grinning. "What d'you guys wanna do first?"

"How 'bout sleep?" Tails yawned. The grin dropped off Sonic's face and he looked contrite.

"You're right. Sorry little bro. I forgot you were beat. Yeah. You go find somewhere we can catch some Zs and then come back here, okay?"

Tails nodded vigorously, trying not to look too pleased.

"Okay. See you guys in a few." He took off, noticing with relief that both tails seemed to be working fine now, with no hint of the paralysing cramp that had seized them earlier.

Sonic smirked at Knuckles.

"So. Whaddaya think?"

"I think we may well find something here we could use," Knuckles answered, taking care to keep his tone calm and matter-of-fact.

"I get it. You're itching to play," Sonic said shrewdly. "I thought you would be."

"I am _not_," Knuckles said stiffly, rather annoyed at this correct interpretation of his words. "I just think it could be useful, that's all."

Sonic shook his head, smirking.

"Uh huh. You just keep telling yourself that, Knux. Me? I'm gonna go play the pinball machines." He waved his fingers bye-bye and sped away. "See ya!" Knuckles dimly heard him yell, followed by a loud war-whoop as Sonic leapt into the air to land squarely on a giant pinball table.

The echidna shook his head in despair; sometimes Sonic's eternally playful attitude seriously got up his wick.

Then he shrugged and went to find a bingo slide.

"Sonic!" Tails erupted into the air in front of the platform a few minutes after Knuckles had left. "Sonic, I found the perfect...Sonic? Knuckles?"

No answer. Probably off riding pinball machines or bingo slides or something similar.

Tails shrugged and sat down, then, for want of something better to do, opened the small bag Sonic kept the Chaos Emeralds in to sneak a quick look. The sight of the gems still awed him, even now.

As he started to close it, he noticed a slim black book at the bottom of the bag. Curious, he reached in and pulled it out. There was no title, but in the white space on the front was written _My Memoirs by Me_.

In the furtive manner of one whose curiosity has managed to temporarily overcome their guilt, Tails opened the journal and started to read.

**That's it for now...if you liked it, please review! Thanks :D**


	6. Casino Combat

**ShadTikal4ever: thanks for reviewing, and all will be revealed in this chapter ;)**

**FriedBrickWall: of course I'm gonnaanswer; I LOVE feedback! Sonic universe...it's mainly the games, with the odd change here and there.**

_Guardian's Log No. 11457_

_Well. So we finally arrived. I have to admit, this place is amazing; you could sit and look at the lights in silent contemplation for hours even if you never gambled. At least, I could._

_I played a few rounds of bingo. That was one hell of an experience, and I did manage to get a perfect score. If nothing else, Sonic was right about one thing; this journey has already been very profitable._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Okay, so maybe I screwed up the button-pushing thing in the power plant. But it turned out okay in the end; I took the lift and hitched a ride on that handle while Knuckles decided to take Tails on his back and climb all the way up the wall and out. An incredible coincidence, as that was my backup plan._

_Joking aside though, we made it! It was worth it to see Knuckles' face when we arrived here. Almost worth the pain of Amy calling me...that name in front of Knux and Tails. I'm heading straight for the slot machine; fingers crossed I can win some rings or something! I saw a toolbox being gambled on the roulette wheel, maybe I can get that for Tails._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary,_

_My flying skills bug Sonic, huh? Maybe he should try aiming from about twenty feet sometime! He didn't complain when I used it to get him out of trouble. And I slow him down, like everyone who can't run at supersonic speed, and he hates having to share his food with me and he wishes I'd shut up about the stuff I'm good at? Well, he'll get his wish; I don't want to talk to him ever again! He should be happy; if I'm not there I can't bore him or endanger him or fall asleep when on watch. I dunno how much longer Knuckles'll last though; I'm kinda sorry I couldn't help him get back to the island, but I am not gonna fly the Tornado! At least, not for ages. Sonic'll understand; I must've bored him with that more than anything. If he wants it though, he's welcome to it. Same goes for Knuckles. _

_--Tails_

The platform was deserted when Sonic arrived back, dragging a canvas bag behind him.

"Hey little bro, you'll never guess what I won on the..." He broke off, looking around. "Tails?"

"Back so soon?" Knuckles said from behind him, making the hedgehog jump. Sonic grinned.

"Yeah, well, I had to come back before I bankrupted the place. Plus the fact that hauling this—" he lifted the bag six inches off the floor, then let it drop— "makes it harder to play."

"What is it?" Knuckles said, curiosity getting the better of him. Sonic's grin broadened.

"Lotsa things, Knux. Mostly it's a toolbox. Tails has been talking about how he needs this wrench or that. I dunno much about tools, but there's bound to be some stuff in here he can use." He looked around. "Speaking of which, you seen Tails anywhere?"

The echidna blinked.

"I thought he was with you."

"What?" Sonic said, startled. "No, he went looking for somewhere to sleep, remember? He's been back; he left his stuff here." He nodded to the small bag on the floor. Knuckles shrugged.

"He's probably just riding the tables or something. He'll be back."

Sonic shook his head.

"No, he's not like that. He wouldn't just vanish without telling me."

"Well, he left a note." Knuckles lifted the paper up from underneath the bag. "This writing's almost illegible..." He squinted. "'I hope you're hippy – no, sorry, happy – I hope you're happy, Sonic, 'cause you got what you said you wanted in your journal, you'..." Knuckles broke off again, then glanced at Sonic. "I think I'll stop there. The rest of it's probably not something you want made public."

"_What_?" Sonic dropped the handle of the bag, staring openly. "What are you...what did he...give me that!"

He snatched the note, tearing it almost in half with the force of his action, and held it up in front of his eyes, lips moving soundlessly until he reached the last line.

"'Bye forever, Tails'. What the _hell_...?" He raised his eyes to Knuckles, bewildered and hurt. "What's his deal?"

Knuckles sighed. For a superhero, Sonic really could be quite dense at times.

"What do you _think_? He mentioned a journal. I didn't know you were keeping one, but if you _are_, did you say something in it that might have upset him?"

"I don't think so. In fact, I'm sure I—hang on." Sonic seized the bag containing the Chaos Emeralds and tipped it upside-down.

"Watch it," Knuckles protested, as the precious gems rolled every which way on the platform.

"Screw those rocks, Knuckles. If something's happened to Tails because of what _I_ wrote, I'll never forgive myself." Sonic pulled his journal roughly out of the bag, opened it and flipped through pages at random. Various choice sentences seemed to leap off the page and straight into his brain.

_...Tails is really bugging me though; I wish he'd at least learn the difference between land and crash..._

_...I had to hand over most of my food to Tails. Jeez, why can't the kid get his own food once in a while..._

_...talking to Tails for too long is like a verbal out-of-body experience; the kid waffles on about this piston and that and to be honest, I couldn't care less; in fact, I wish he'd just shut up..._

_...I'm sure he'd have tried his best, but I'd lay odds his body would've turned on him and he'd have fallen asleep at his post..._

_...we could have made even better time if we hadn't had to stop every two hours for Tails to rest his paws..._

"Tails left his own journal behind," Knuckles said matter-of-factly, holding up the journal in question. It was a very old, very battered but clearly very well-loved exercise book; Tails had decorated both covers with pictures of Sonic. They weren't exactly masterpieces (in fact, it had taken every iota of discipline and training Knuckles possessed not to laugh himself into a coma at the sight of them) but they were clearly drawn in admiration of the hedgehog.

"You want me to read some?" Knuckles asked. He opened the book not quite at random and cleared his throat. "'Dear Diary. I saved Sonic! I actually got to save Sonic! Usually it's him bailing me out of trouble but this time he needed me and I helped him out!'." He turned a few pages. "'Dear Diary. I had a really good sleep last night because Sonic saw how tired I was and said he'd watch instead of me.'. 'Dear Diary. My tails are really aching tonight; I've done a lot of flying and I had to carry Sonic over a really deep chasm. I don't want to say anything though; I don't want him to worry about me.'." Knuckles fixed Sonic with a steely look. "Shall I go on?"

"Please don't," Sonic said, somewhat hoarsely.

"'Dear Diary'," Knuckles continued relentlessly. "'Sonic likes my invention! He really does; he said so! I'm glad; I was starting to worry that he was getting bored'." The echidna closed the book. "There's a lot more, basically extolling you and everything you do and say and wondering why I can't be more like you. I might have been insulted before this, but right now, I'm actually pretty happy about it. And you have the nerve to say _my_ people skills suck?" He snorted. "I'm not a friendly guy by nature but I'll say this much; I never smiled at someone's face and stabbed them in the back at the same time."

There was a long silence.

"Was that the last entry?" Sonic said eventually. Knuckles shook his head.

"No, _this_ is the last entry. I think he left this journal here on purpose for us to find." Knuckles cleared his throat. "'Dear Diary. I bug Sonic, huh? Maybe he should try aiming from about twenty feet sometime! He didn't complain when I used it to get him out of trouble. And apparently I slow him down, like _everyone_ who can't run at supersonic speed, and he hates having to share his food with me and he wishes I'd shut up about the stuff I'm good at? Well, he'll get his wish; I don't want to talk to him _ever_ again! He should be happy; if I'm not there I can't bore him or endanger him or fall asleep when on watch. I dunno how much longer Knuckles'll last though; I'm kinda sorry I couldn't help him get back to the island, but I am _not_ gonna fly the Tornado! At least, not for ages. Sonic'll understand; I must've bored him with that more than anything. If he wants it though, he's welcome to it. Same goes for Knuckles. Tails'."

Sonic stared numbly into space for a few moments, then, like most people in similar situations, raced for the moral high ground.

"Well...he shouldn't have read my journal in the first place!"

Knuckles folded his arms across his chest and stared at him coldly.

"That's not the issue, Sonic. The issue is, he did and what are you going to do about it?"

"Ah, hell." Sonic sat down abruptly. "I didn't _mean_ any of that stuff I said about him, Knux. I just...I got a little pissed off, a little frustrated. Not with him; with things in general."

"Meaning me?" Knuckles said shrewdly.

"Usually, yeah, but I was caught up in other stuff. There's some seriously strange crap going down out there. I've no idea what it is or how to deal with it and I got frustrated and I...well, I wrote some stuff that I shouldn'ta done. I didn't mean it though; the kid's my best buddy, you know? I just...hell, I guess I needed some kinda scapegoat and Tails stepped right up to the plate. But like I said, I didn't _mean_ it; I just got a little carried away with my own crap. I never meant for Tails to read it; I swear I wouldn't hurt that little guy for the world." Sonic glanced up at Knuckles, hoping to find some hint of pity or sympathy.

There was none. The echidna's face might have been chiselled out of marble for all the emotion it revealed.

"Don't tell me, Sonic. Tell him."

"Yeah. Yeah." Sonic moved so fast he seemed to go from sitting on the ground with his head in his hands to on his feet with no intervening position. "Yeah. I'll go look for him. If anything's happened to him, I'll tear this place to the ground." There was a determined light in the hedgehog's jade eyes as he said this, and Knuckles had no doubt he was capable of carrying out his threat.

He watched as Sonic sped away to check the lower levels and sighed, shaking his head. That was Sonic all over; ninety nine percent speed, one percent rationality. And about two hundred and thirty seven percent attitude.

_If I were a flying fox, where would I be?_ The answer to Knuckles was obvious; somewhere as high as possible.

Adding his current winnings to his own bag, Knuckles looked around. Tails had been tired, so the chances were good he wouldn't have gone too far. That either left the higher places very close to the platform, or lower ones further away. And if the kid had gone to the lower ones, both Sonic and Knuckles would have seen him. That left...ah, of course.

Smiling slightly, he crossed over to the largest pillar and began to climb. He enjoyed the exercise; climbing and gliding were to Knuckles what running was to Sonic, only there'd been precious little opportunity for the echidna to indulge himself ever since leaving his beloved island.

Pulling himself up and over onto the top, he caught sight of Tails sitting with his back to him and his smile widened into a smirk.

"So this is your idea of a good place to sleep, huh?"

Tails glared at him sullenly.

"Go away."

"Or what?" Knuckles stretched out a leisurely fist. "You gonna drag me through another cactus forest?"

It was an unfortunate choice of words; he barely had time to blink before Tails had lunged for him with open murder in his eyes. Dodging the blows almost automatically, Knuckles reached up and grabbed the fox's tails in one fist, suspending him upside down in midair.

"Any chance you're gonna be reasonable about this?" he said acidly. "Because if you're not, I'll just tie you to one of the pinball flippers down there and bounce up and down on it a few times until you are."

Tails wriggled about determinedly, still trying to get to the echidna with all four paws. It might have been funny if Knuckles hadn't been so fed up with everything that had been going on so far.

The echidna took a long, deep breath.

"Tails...what happened?"

"You _know_ what happened!"

"If I knew, would I have asked the question?" Knuckles shook his head. "You read Sonic's journal, didn't you?"

"See? You _do_ know!"

"He didn't mean what he wrote. You know he didn't."

Tails glared at him.

"He shouldn't've written it then!"

"Believe me, kid, right now he's wishing he hadn't." Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Look, it's just Sonic's way of letting off steam. You wrote some pretty crappy things about me in that note you left for us. D'you see me sulking and getting angry with you? And just for the record, my spines do _not_ make my head look pointy and there's no hyphen in the word 'dickhead'."

There was a short silence.

"You can let me go now," Tails said flatly. "I'm not gonna attack you again."

"Again? Did you do it before?" Knuckles asked, smirking at the resultant glare, then lowered the fox carefully to the ground. Tails sat there despondently, pulling at the tips of his tails and not looking up.

Knuckles was, for the first time in his life, unsure what to do or say and so he opted for nothing.

"Is Sonic with you?" Tails said suddenly.

"No. That's why I'm here; he's searching the casinos and bingo slides for you and I went for this place." The echidna shook his head. "I don't care if he wants to race all over Mobius. I _do_, however, care if he wants to get me stranded away from the island! You're the only one who can fly the Tornado and therefore the only one who can get me home again."

"How'd you find me?"

Knuckles snorted.

"An orange and white fox with two tails sitting underneath a spotlight on a black platform? It wasn't that hard, kid, believe me. I just had to look for the highest place."

"How'd you get up here?"

"Climbed, of course. How else?"

Tails folded his arms on his knees and rested his head on them, pointedly turning away from the echidna.

"So what now? You gonna drag me kicking and yelping back to Sonic?"

"I would if I knew where he was," Knuckles said candidly. "As it is, no. But I'm not letting you out of my sight either." He shook his head. Why the hell was it always _him_ that had to deal with Tails in these situations?

"Nobody makes you," Tails retorted.

Knuckles hadn't realised he'd spoken aloud.

"You make me, kid, every time you walk out. Frankly, I'm getting tired of it. So Sonic upset you. Big deal. You just deal with it or chew him out about it. The world's full of people who're gonna upset or bug you, and you accept that and quit running. It's called _growing up_."

"I was not running," Tails said with as much dignity as he could muster. "I was looking for Sonic. I wanted to _hit_ him for what he said. I wanted to...to..."

"Yeah, I know; you couldn't stop the hurt inside so you wanted to spread it around instead." Knuckles snorted, and then sighed. He really could do without all this crap, but at least he knew how to deal with this particular problem. Raising one hand to shoulder level, palm out, he stared at Tails, who squirmed, clearly unsure whether or not the echidna was about to strike him.

"Hit me."

Tails gawked at Knuckles, not sure he'd heard right.

"Huh?"

"You heard. You want to hit someone, hit me. On the _hand_," Knuckles added, just in case there was any misunderstanding on this point. Judging from the expression on Tails' face, there was a hell of a lot of it on all the other points.

"You...but you..."

Knuckles sighed.

"You want me to make this easier for you? Imagine my hand is Sonic."

The resultant blow was harder than Knuckles would have given Tails credit for, but the echidna didn't flinch, didn't even blink.

"Again."

Tails didn't hesitate this time but slammed both fists into the echidna's hand.

"Again," Knuckles said sharply. "Stop screwing around and _hurt_ me!"

Tails, who was already slightly out of breath, stared at him.

"Are you sick?"

"Yeah," Knuckles retorted, "sick of you and Sonic whining about everything. Sick of you going off in a sulk every time Sonic does, basically, what all teenaged older brothers do from time to time. You wanted an older brother? You got one, and everything that goes with him. Hit me."

Tails raised a fist, then hesitated.

"How many more times are you gonna let me whack you?"

"Would you ask Sonic that question?" Knuckles said rhetorically. "C'mon, you were all for it a few minutes ago."

"That was for Sonic, though." Tails was feeling unaccountably uneasy; he knew Knuckles well enough to know that the echidna never did anything without a very good reason, and he wasn't sure what possible reason Knuckles could have for telling him to beat him up. "You're...you."

"Well done! You worked that out all by yourself?" Knuckles shook his head and started to turn away. "Man, I knew you were too chicken to see it through."

The taunt worked better than he'd intended; he'd barely got halfway through the turn before Tails had hurled himself at him and was pummelling the still outstretched hand vigorously with all four limbs. That was something Knuckles had failed to take into account; a flying fox could kick as well as punch. In a way it was a good thing that Sonic hadn't been the one to find him. The blows weren't powerful enough to do any serious damage, but Tails was really getting into it by the end and it was only the echidna's quick reflexes that saved him from a foot to the groin.

"I said the _hand_!"

Tails landed with a bump, panting hard.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Feel better?"

"No," Tails muttered.

Knuckles nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Then maybe you'll learn that violence doesn't solve everything. Sonic's annoying and sometimes he's about as sensitive to other people's feelings as a banana slug, but as far as bad points go, that's _all_ he is. He's not spiteful or malicious; he just doesn't think. You should have seen his face when he read your note. I've never seen anyone brought down so far so fast. You wanted to hurt him back, well, you sure managed that."

Tails drew his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly.

"Knuckles?"

"Hm?"

"Why'd he write all that stuff?"

The echidna shrugged.

"People take their anger and frustration out on other people sometimes. It's a fact of life."

"How would you know?" Tails demanded. "You're a hermit!"

Knuckles shrugged.

"Some things are pretty well-known in all societies. Believe it or not, after years of watching them, I understand people completely. Look, kid, Sonic was all for tearing the place to the ground when he found out you were gone. It was all I could do to stop him smashing every pinball machine and lift in the place."

"Yeah?" Tails wrapped both tails around himself, playing with the tips again. "So how come you're up here and he's not?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Now you're being petty."

"I don't care!"

"And you just added immaturity into the mix." The echidna folded his arms across his chest. "You wanna shoot for stupidity as well? The reason I'm up here and he's not is partly because we split up and you just happened to be in the area I was searching and partly because Sonic, for all his talents, can't climb stairs without a grapple. And if this is how you greet _me_, it's a damn good thing it wasn't Sonic who got here first!" he added with unusual vehemence. "Speaking of Sonic, c'mon. Let's go back down."

Tails shot him a look.

"I'm not gonna go back to Sonic!"

Knuckles took one or two deep breaths. It didn't seem to help.

"You're going if I have to tie your tails in a knot and carry you all the way down. Don't test me, kid. You'll lose every time." He shook his head. "Look, if you still wanna abandon him, go right ahead. But at least talk to him. Give him a chance to apologise."

"Why should I?"

"Even you know that's childish. If you're planning to fly away, you better have a lot of energy because I'll be hanging off your ankles." Knuckles crossed to the edge of the platform and half turned. "Are you coming or what?"

Tails hesitated, then, with a piercing look that said this was all his own idea, took off and flew gently down to where a familiar blue figure was pacing back and forth at sonic speed. Knuckles waited a couple of seconds, then leapt off the edge and glided down after him, arriving just as Sonic screeched to a halt.

"Tails!" The hedgehog's relief was almost palpable. "Tails, li'l buddy, are you okay?"

"I'm not your buddy," Tails said in sub-arctic tones.

The hurt on Sonic's face was so pronounced and so clearly genuine that even Knuckles felt a twinge of sympathy for the hedgehog.

Sonic took a deep breath.

"This is about what I wrote, huh? Tails, I didn't mean it. You know I didn't."

"All I _know_ is that you pretended you liked me and my inventions and then laughed behind my back in your journal!"

"_What_?" Thunderstruck, Sonic stared at Tails. "I didn't pretend to like you; I _do_ like you! I was just...I was angry about something and took it out on you, that's all. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Not okay! If you get bored when I talk about the stuff I like, you coulda just told me!"

"Alright!" Sonic held up both hands in surrender. "Alright, okay! Enough already; I get the point. I screwed up big time, and I didn't even mean what I wrote."

"That's what Knuckles said, but he still couldn't tell me why you wrote it!" Tails turned away from Sonic. "I'd almost rather have _him_ as my big brother; he's an antisocial jerk but at least he's honest about it!"

"Thanks," Knuckles said sourly. "I think."

Sonic cast the echidna a look, silently pleading with him for backup, and received the tiniest of nods in reply.

"Look, kid, Sonic said things he didn't mean and so did you. That doesn't make—"

"I _did_ mean them!" Tails burst out.

There was a very long, very painful silence.

"Okay," Sonic said at the end of it, his voice unnaturally high. "Fine. If that's really how you feel, you go, kid, and good luck to you."

Knuckles growled out several echidna curses, the mildest of which entailed a desire for both Sonic and Tails to have a brief but painfully intimate meeting with a famine-struck school of piranhas. He'd tried the subtle approach; now it was time to revert to the echidna method of settling puggle squabbles.

Reaching out, he seized Sonic in one hand, Tails in the other and cracked both their heads together with enough force to daze.

"Ow!" Sonic rubbed his skull. "Jeez, Tails, all that fur is just a cover for a head like a rock, isn't it?"

"So now it's my head that's the problem! You gonna write about that in your journal as well, huh Sonic?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. Had he been this irritating on the journey, seeing insults in everything? If so, it was no wonder Sonic had finally snapped.

"Alright!" Releasing them, he grabbed their respective journals instead. Flipping through, he located Tails' final entry and each entry in Sonic's that had upset the fox so badly, then ripped the pages out, ignoring the protests, and threw them on the fire. "It's gone! Finished! Never happened!" He took a deep breath. "Now, for the love of the emeralds, will you two _knock it off_! It's like being with a pair of three-year-olds!" He looked at Tails. "You don't have to kiss, but at least make up. You both got pissed off and said things you didn't mean – Tails, unless you're either going to apologise to Sonic or tell me I'm right, you can close your damn mouth! – and if you carry on like this I'll knock you both into a pricklebush!"

"There are no pricklebushes around here," Sonic said in lofty tones.

"Rest assured that I can probably find a substitute! And you think _I'm_ rock-stubborn." Knuckles shook his head. "It was just a screw-up. Nothing more."

"Of course."

Sonic stared at Tails.

"How did you do that without moving your lips?" he asked, and was immensely gratified to see the fox grin, albeit reluctantly.

"He didn't. I did."

The three of them looked at each other and then, one by one, turned to see where the voice had come from.

"Over here, boys."

There was something in that voice, Sonic thought. You ignored it at your peril.

Something moved in the shadows, and then the speaker stepped into the light, or at least, halfway into it. The barest hint of movement told Sonic and the other two that this stranger wasn't alone, but her friends didn't seem inclined to show themselves.

"Name's Rouge. And you are...?"

Sonic swallowed. It was suddenly very hard to concentrate.

"Uh...Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog. This is Tails and, uh, Knuckles. He's an echidna."

"Echidna?" Rouge lifted an elegant eyebrow. "Is that a fancy word for a mutant hedgehog?"

"I resent that!" Sonic and Knuckles said in the same breath, then both looked scandalised at having voiced the same thought as the other. Rouge smiled slowly, languidly, as though they were hardly worth the effort the action took.

"You have something I want, very badly as it happens. Hand it over and we'll let you live."

"Really?" Sonic drew the word out, savouring it. "What might that be?"

"You _know_ what." Now Rouge was no longer smiling. "Give me the emeralds. _Now_."

Sonic stared at her, then abruptly laughed. It seemed like the only possible response.

Rouge flashed him a brief, dazzling smile, a cold expression.

"I have trouble with 'no', Sonic."

"How about 'get blunted'?" Sonic shot back, not missing a beat. "You have trouble with that as well?"

"Not as much as you're about to have." Without warning, Rouge leapt into the air, shooting towards them. The trio scattered, darting out of the way of first Rouge and then her companions.

"I got the black one!" Sonic yelled, then came face to face with the black one in question and froze. "Holy..."

It was like looking in a mirror. An inverted one, but a mirror nonetheless; the black hedgehog was almost an exact copy of Sonic himself. So alike, in fact, that Sonic hesitated before attacking.

Mistake.

By the time Sonic realised just how big a mistake, his assailant had rammed him, sending him flying off the edge of the platform.

"_Sonic_!" Tails shot towards him, only to find his path effectively barred by Rouge, who matched all his attempts to pass with apparently no effort, catching hold of his wrists.

"Ah ah ah; you stay put, little cub. Let the adults handle this."

"Let go! I gotta save Sonic!"

"Who?" Rouge said idly. "Oh, the blue boy? Forget about him; he's long gone. Don't worry; we'll pick up the emeralds from his body."

"_No_! Sonic! _Sonic_!" Tails writhed futilely in Rouge's iron grasp and changed tack. "Knuckles!"

On the ground, the echidna risked a brief glance up and felt his blood run cold.

_Oh great! Now what?_

"Annihilate! Annihilate!"

Well, that was always a viable option, Knuckles had to admit. At the moment, it was being presented by a robot that looked like one of Robotnik's mistakes. It was almost twice the size of him and armoured, armed and flashing wherever armour, weapons and lights could be crammed.

_Twice the size..._

Wondering if this could possibly work, and not liking to think about the consequences if it couldn't, Knuckles leapt straight up, landing on the robot and taking off again immediately. Seizing Rouge around the waist, he folded his spines and dropped, dragging her down. Tails wrenched away, pulling free and dived after Sonic much faster than Knuckles had ever seen him move before.

Something gripped Knuckles painfully tightly, lifting him as though he weighed next to nothing and smashing him into one of the crates. Instinct warned the echidna and he rolled sideways, narrowly missing a joint attack from the other three, who skidded to a stop, hovering underneath Rouge on the very edge.

Knuckles stared at them for a few seconds, hardly able to believe the opportunity Fate had just thrown into his lap, then half turned and punched as hard as he could, sending all three of them hurtling off the platform.

"Nice move," Sonic said, from where he was being supported by Tails. His voice was as light as ever, but Knuckles couldn't help paying more attention to the unusual pallor of his skin.

"Thanks." Knuckles shook his head. "Who _were_ those guys?"

Sonic shook his head.

"I dunno. I might've met them ages ago, or they might've met me. I meet a lot of people; it's hard to keep track."

"Would these particular people have anything against you?" Knuckles asked shrewdly. Sonic shook his head.

"Uh uh. Least, probably not enough to want to slam-dunk me three miles into the ground." The hedgehog looked up at Tails. "Thanks, little bro. You can put me down now."

Tails obliged, dropping Sonic the four feet to the top of the platform and coming to hover next to him.

"So what about the others?"

Sonic shrugged and turned away.

"What does it matter? They're not gonna bother us again, not for a while. C'mon little bro, let's get clear."

He broke into a run, keeping just slow enough for the other two to match the pace without being able to overtake him, not stopping until they reached the very edge of the Casino Zones. Knuckles opened his mouth to ask just what the hell the rush was, then caught sight of what lay ahead and shut it again, his thoughts unspoken.

"I told you, didn't I?" Sonic said quietly from next to him. "_Weird_."

**Okay, that's it for this chapter! Please take time to leave a review :)**


	7. Revelations

**FriedBrickWall: Mind? Why should I mind getting more feedback and reviews:D The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. And the toolbox, heh, I'm impressed! I didn't think anyone'd pick up on that ;) Same goes for Knuckles' journal...though I think it's something that's been passed down, judging from the number of entries ;)**

**Samantha27: (grins) Actually, to tell you the truth, I didn't. Tails' and Sonic's, erm, argument was mostly written just after I'd finished chapter 2. That's kinda why Sonic was like he was; it was all leading up to that :P**

_Guardian's Log No. 11458_

_I'm getting very tired of this. That's the second time I've had to talk Tails round. Sonic seems to have learned his lesson though; maybe it won't happen again, at least, hopefully not before I'm safely back on Angel Island. No amount of treasure is worth playing counsellor to those two!_

_Speaking of treasure, we ran into a new acquaintance today; Rouge the Bat. An interesting character. I don't believe for one minute that she really would have let us go if Sonic had handed over the Chaos Emeralds; she didn't strike me as the kind of person who'd leave witnesses alive._

_I can't believe I was able to pull that move off though; it was far more luck than judgment. Not that I'm going to tell Sonic or Tails that; way I see it, they owe me. I was glad to see the kid almost have a panic attack when Sonic looked like dying though. Sonic himself looked a little shaken. I guess it was too much danger even for that hedgehog. At least it helped those two make up; that's one good thing, especially given what Tails put in that damn note!_

_Query: do my spines really make my head look pointy?_

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Wow. What a day. What a damn frigging day. I upset and pissed off Tails royally and got knocked off a platform to a mile and a half drop. I was way beyond relieved when Tails caught me; I guess I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd left me to fall. That's not an insult, Tails, in case you read this again._

_That Rouge character picked about the worst time to make her grand entrance though. What do she and her friends want with the Chaos Emeralds? And speaking of friends, that black hedgehog was way freaky. I swear it was like looking in a warped mirror. He was fast too; as fast as I am, and I never thought I'd write those five words! Bottom line, Knux kicked 'em all off the platform and we hotfooted it out of there. I just realised I never got to give Tails that toolkit._

_Now we're on the edge of that weird thing I told Knuckles about, somewhere I swore blind I never wanted to be again. Man, I'm not spooked by much but this is creeping me out big time._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_Why'd Knuckles have to drag me back down to Sonic? I was perfectly happy on my own!_

_Well...actually, no I wasn't. I still can't believe Sonic would write that stuff about me. I guess I believed him and Knuckles when they said he didn't mean it, but he still shouldn't've written it! On the other hand, I guess I didn't mean all that stuff I wrote earlier either. It's not here anymore; Knuckles ripped those pages out and burned them. I didn't mean what I wrote about him either. He's an okay guy really, although he makes me a little nervous. He always seems to be judging everyone all the time, but I think he could be nice if he'd loosen up a little. _

_I don't like this Rouge person though. Especially after she tried to stop me helping Sonic! I did manage to catch him though, about ten feet from the ground. I think it really freaked him out; he doesn't usually risk his life that much._

_--Tails_

Knuckles understood for the first time why Sonic had been unwilling to describe the 'weird thing' that he'd kept referring to. No, unwilling was the wrong word; the word was _unable_. It was...wrong. That wasn't a much better description than Sonic had given, but it was the only one that seemed to fit. Somehow, it managed to show both utter nothingness and what looked like some kind of star-filled space at the same time.

The echidna turned away abruptly. Something told him that if he looked at it for much longer, or spent any amount of time trying to work it out, he'd go insane.

"It's grown." Sonic stood at Knuckles' shoulder, his face unusually sombre. "I dunno what it is or how it was caused, but that thing's spreading and between you and me, I got no idea how to stop it."

"Can't you fly up to it?"

Sonic shook his head.

"It seems to be on the outer rim of our atmosphere. Even the Tornado can't fly that high. Besides, I'm not sure I'd want to."

Knuckles' eye ridges shot up.

"You're turning down a chance to risk life and limb? Are you sickening for something?"

By way of an answer, Sonic nodded to the ground underneath the nothing-void.

"Look at it, Knux. See anything strange?"

Knuckles' gaze swept the ground, then he shrugged. Sonic let out a guttural noise of frustration.

"I wish you'd seen it over the Jungle Zone; it was obvious then!" He scanned the area, one hand shielding his eyes against the bright lights, then finally pointed. "There! See that tree?"

Knuckles followed the hedgehog's finger and his frown deepened.

"It's...dead. Isn't it?" he added.

Sonic nodded. He could understand the echidna's hesitation; the leaves on the tree itself weren't a healthy green or a dead brown; they were a sickly grey, and the trunk looked somewhat shrivelled.

"It's dead alright, Knux. That void thing's so bad that the Jungle Zone looks like it's been buried in ash. And it's not just—" Sonic broke off abruptly and paled. "Oh no," Knuckles heard him mutter.

"Amy turned up again?"

"No. But some unlucky guy did." Sonic exploded into a run, skidding to a stop on the very edge of the void and grabbing a pole to hook the foot of the unlucky guy in question and pull him out. There was no question he was dead; his face was frozen in an agonised contortion and both hands seemed to be clawing at his throat.

Arriving behind Sonic at a more sedate pace, Knuckles stared at the body, frowning.

"His face is almost _black_."

"Suffocation," Sonic said, with almost frightening composure. "The plants are the same. That thing, whatever it is, is sucking the air out of everything it covers, plants, animals, people, _everything_. Witness the main reason why I don't wanna go near it. I'm not suicidal, whatever else I may be!"

Knuckles, who had his own opinion on that matter, kept quiet.

"No, Knuckles, I am _not_ suicidal!" Sonic repeated, glaring at the echidna. "Getting out of the void doesn't help either; once it touches you, you're dead."

Knuckles shifted his weight edgily, feeling a sudden urge to get as far away from this strange void as he could.

"Alright. You were right; it is weird. How the hell did it come to be here?"

"Robotnik, of course." Sonic sounded impatient. Knuckles shook his head slowly.

"I dunno. I'm not sure what race has the credit of him, but he breathes oxygen like we do. If that thing spreads to his fortress, he'll be as dead as anyone."

"Not if he's the one controlling it," Sonic argued. "People are running from it already. All he has to do is use it to herd them to wherever he wants them, then he can pick them up any time he likes."

Knuckles frowned. The plot was devious enough for Robotnik, but something about it didn't ring true.

"Sonic, this is the guy who's come after you with guided missiles, bombs, plasma cannons, lightning, flamethrowers, toxic waste and a wrecking ball the size of a small house, to name but a few! Robotnik has many traits, but I think it's safe to say that subtlety is _not_ among them! Besides, why would he go to all that trouble to trap people he could pick up with about the same amount of time and effort you or I would use to snag a pella fruit?"

Sonic took a deep breath.

"I don't know, okay? You're right; something about it doesn't make sense. But I want to check Robotnik out, because if it _is_ him then we can get him to put a stop to it, and if it's not, he'll want it gone as much as us."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of joining forces with him!" Knuckles said. "Because if you are, you can count me out! He's—"

"I _know_ what he is, Knux!"

"Yeah," Knuckles said, his voice strangely quiet all of a sudden. "I know you do, Sonic."

Sonic shifted his weight and opted to steer the conversation out of these dangerous waters.

"Look, Knucklehead, if you're gonna yammer on at me, at least say something deep and meaningful. What happened to all that philosophy and duty trash you usually spout?"

"You want deep and meaningful? Fine!" Knuckles leaned against a wall. "You want me to say something about duty, something really profound? How about I start by saying that this is all your fault!"

Sonic jerked as if he'd been slapped (an idea which was, Knuckles admitted, gaining more and more appeal with each passing second).

"You have ten seconds to explain that crack, Knuckles," he said, his normally cocky tone absent. Knuckles folded his arms coldly.

"Fine. You were the one who made Robotnik what he is today. You were the one who made him so damn obsessed with power and cruelty. And not only that, you used to be his number one sidekick. Like the kid is with you." Knuckles nodded towards Tails, who was watching the whole thing wide-eyed. "Tell me something, Sonic; why do you _really_ want to stop Robotnik? Because he's evil and you hate the things he does? Or because you're terrified he's going to tell people you and he practically lived in each other's pockets at one time?" Knuckles shook his head, clicking his tongue pityingly. "Such a thing would really screw up your good-guy image, huh?"

"Sonic _is_ a good guy!" Tails said emphatically. He attempted to dive for Knuckles but the echidna had – quite inadvertently – leaned against a wall with a large overhanging and the fox couldn't get in at the right angle. Nothing daunted, Tails landed next to Sonic and looked up at him beseechingly. "He's wrong, isn't he, Sonic? Tell him he's wrong!"

Knuckles raised both eye-ridges coldly.

"Well? Come on, Sonic; tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you weren't his lab assistant, that you didn't cause what was possibly the biggest screw-up in the history of Mobius."

"The intentions were good, Knuckles."

"Robotnik's were. Yours weren't."

"I didn't know what would happen! I didn't think."

"You never do," Knuckles said flatly.

"Sonic?" Tails continued staring, eyes big. "Knuckles isn't right, is he? Is he?"

Sonic took a long, deep breath, held it for a few seconds while he considered his options, then expelled it in a sigh.

"Yeah, li'l bro. He's right." He glared at Knuckles, who looked back coolly, completely undaunted. "I don't wanna know how he found out about it, but he's right. The doc and I used to be pals, way back in the day. He wasn't always as bad as this; he used to be a pretty cool guy. I used to hang out in his lab, help him with his experiments. He let me build up my speed on his treadmill until I finally broke through the sound barrier. When that happened, he made me these to protect my feet." He lifted one red and white sneaker for inspection.

Tails sat down hard, eyes now so huge they seemed to fill his entire face.

"He _what_?"

"I said he wasn't bad then, okay?" Sonic said irritably. "He was working on a way to remove and store all of the evil on Mobius – all the chaos, if you wanna put it like that. The doc found seven huge emeralds that he thought would contain the evil safely. He managed to transfer it into six of those emeralds but to stabilise things for the last one, he needed the eighth emerald, the Master Emerald."

Knuckles snorted.

"My people have been guarding the Master Emerald for generations. You expect me to believe there are two of them?"

Looking him straight in the eye, Sonic said quietly, "The doc invented a time machine."

Knuckles opened his mouth, then shut it again rather abruptly. Sonic continued.

"I dunno how he activated the Master Emerald – science was never my bag – but he did, and he went back in time five hundred years to the most secure place he knew; Angel Island. He entrusted it to your ancestors and made them promise to guard it for at least a thousand years. The rest is history."

"No it's not," Tails protested. "What happened next? Why'd he go all mean and start destroying people and stuff?"

"He probably just got out the wrong side of bed one morning," Knuckles drawled.

He barely had time to blink before Sonic had rammed him hard, sending the two of them rolling back in a tangle of arms, legs and spines. Hitting a spring at the bottom of a hill, both of them exploded back up simultaneously, Knuckles holding a seriously angry Sonic at arm's length with an expression that said he'd release his grip when Mobius stopped spinning, and not a nanosecond sooner.

Tails took off and flew to the roof, peering down nervously. Sonic and Knuckles had had their differences, but since Robotnik's exposure as a liar on Angel Island, it had never come to blows before.

In all fairness it wasn't coming to blows now, although if Sonic's almost apoplectic complexion was anything to go by, that wasn't for want of trying on his part. Occasionally words managed to fight their way out of his throat.

"Don't...if you _dare_...if you _think_..."

"Yeah, I think," Knuckles interrupted him coldly. "I _think_ that you're in serious danger of making me mad."

Sonic paused, glaring at him.

"Oh sure. It's always about _you_, isn't it? That's all you've ever cared about, is yourself. Listen, Knucklehead, if you knew—"

"Which I might do if you'd stop trying to filet me and finish your story—"

Sonic dropped onto all fours, preparing a spin attack, but Knuckles simply scooped him up, leapt into the air and slam-dunked him into the floor. He almost said, "Two points," but restrained himself. If he said that, there really _would_ be no going back.

"Okay," he said, breathing rapidly. "Go back to Tails' question. What happened next?"

Sonic picked himself up, tense but in control again.

"First tell me how you found out about all this! Nobody knew except me and the doc. Robotnik won't admit that he was anything other than evil now, and I know I sure didn't tell anybody!"

Knuckles shook his head.

"Uh uh. First you tell me the rest of it and _then_ I'll tell you how I found out."

Sonic slumped against the wall next to him.

"There's not much more to tell. I got hungry while the doc was gone and opened the refrigerator for a snack. There was nothing in there but a very old, very rotten egg. I was still very much a kid at that point, pretty immature."

Knuckles started to say that Sonic clearly hadn't changed, then bit his tongue for the second time that day. Even he knew when he was pushing his luck.

"I thought it'd be a good joke to give it to him to smell," Sonic went on. If he'd noticed Knuckles' brief struggle with himself, he gave no sign. "You know; kinda like the whole 'open your mouth and close your eyes' deal. He was working on the emeralds at the time, getting ready to finalise things, and I gave him the egg. It screwed up his concentration big time and he pushed the wrong button. Instead of the evil being sealed inside the emeralds, it was ejected into the nearest thing. In this case, the good doctor and that egg. It kinda combined the two – that's why he looks like he does – and turned him into the Robotnik we all know and hate. The good part of him was taken out by what happened and became those gold rings that are all over the place."

Knuckles frowned.

"Yeah? Why rings?"

Sonic shrugged.

"The doc was married at one time, only his wife died. He always wore his wedding ring; just a plain gold band. It probably represented the best and happiest time of his life, and so that's what the Emeralds made it. That's just a theory, though. I think it had something else to do with the ROCC – whatever that stood for – but like I said, science was never my bag." He narrowed his eyes at Knuckles. "Your turn. How did you find out?"

"Do you think echidnas never talk to each other, Sonic? When Robotnik dropped off the Master Emerald, he told us what he was planning to do with the others. That was five hundred years ago, and in that time we forgot the names involved – if we ever knew them – but we remembered two things. One was that nobody who came asking for the Master Emerald should be allowed to have it. The other was that when the rings appeared in the sky, war was imminent and we'd have to guard the Master Emerald like never before." Knuckles shrugged. "None of us understood that second part to begin with." He nodded towards the sky, where three gold rings hung in an arc above their heads. "Now I do. I was asleep when the rings appeared. My mother told me the story much later, how there had been a massive explosion on the planet's surface and the rings had been scattered all over the world, even as far up as Angel Island itself. Nobody had any idea what caused it, but she said she saw a blue streak heading away incredibly fast."

"That could have been _anybody's_ blue streak," Tails said defiantly. Knuckles shrugged.

"I thought it was an aftermath of the explosion when she told me. It wasn't until I actually saw Sonic running away from Angel Island at top speed that I put two and two together."

"That's not answering my question," Sonic said flatly. For the first time, Knuckles realised that despite his thrill-seeking ways, Sonic was far from stupid. He sighed.

"Okay. You really wanna know the truth? I didn't know, at least, not really. All I had were my own theories drawn from what I've just told you. All you did was confirm them."

Sonic opened his mouth, then closed it again rather abruptly. Tails stared at him, eyes big.

_All this time...we've been up against Robotnik for ages and all that time Sonic knew he was responsible for him._

"I'm not doing it for the accolades, Knucklehead," Sonic added. "I do it because I have to. I'm one of the very few who can fight Robotnik on his own terms. And...well...I started this crap. I oughta be the one to finish it."

The look in Knuckles' eyes altered slightly, became keener.

"You know, I think I owe you an apology, Sonic. I think I've misjudged you all this time."

"Most people do," Sonic said with a martyred expression. "It's my curse."

"You're responsible for it all," Tails said wonderingly, and Knuckles seriously doubted that the fox had heard any of the previous dialogue. "Everything that's happened, _you_ did it."

Sonic winced as though Tails' words were physically painful, then, to Knuckles' private amazement, shook his head.

"No go, little bro. I'm not and I didn't. Sure, I screwed up with Robotnik, but I'm not carrying the can for everything he chose to do."

"He's right," Knuckles said with a shrug. Sonic's jaw dropped.

"I'm _what_?"

"I said you're right."

There was a long, long silence.

"Could I get that in writing?" Sonic asked eventually. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but—" Tails began.

"But nothing. I'm not Robotnik's keeper, Tails. What he did was his own choice, not mine." There was something in Sonic's voice that discouraged the fox from pursuing this line of questioning too far. "Anyway," Sonic added, "it doesn't matter how the doc came into being; right now, the only thing that matters is _finding_ him."

"Yeah?" Knuckles said flatly. "And how are you planning to do that, Sonic? Last time I checked, Robotnik wasn't handing out business cards."

"That thing looks like it's heading towards the terminals," Sonic said. "If we go now, maybe we can get there first and at least warn people." A now-familiar gleam crept into his eyes. "You ever go rail-grinding, Knux?"

"What's rail-grinding?" Knuckles said, a little warily. Sonic and Tails exchanged grins, then Sonic clapped the echidna on the shoulder, ignoring the resultant stiffness.

"Follow us, Knucklehead."

**Okay, another chapter finished :D Please review!**


	8. Death on the Rails

**FriedBrickWall: Thanks for the review :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and as requested, I have indeed written more ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11459_

_So Sonic finally came clean with the kid about being responsible for Robotnik's existence. I have to admit, I was impressed; that took a hell of a lot of guts. Like I said at the time, I think I've been misjudging Sonic. I was wrong in what I said about him earlier as well; he does have something of a sense of responsibility._

_And that thing...yeah. I got pretty frustrated at the time, but now I understand why Sonic just kept calling it a 'weird thing'. There are no other words to describe it. I don't know if Robotnik is behind it, but I don't know who else could be either. Still, I imagine we'll find out._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Good news: Tails and I seem to have made up! Bad news: we made up just in time for Knuckles to drag my skeleton kicking and screaming out of the closet. I still don't quite know how he found about about me and Robotnik, but I'm not sure I want to know either. Maybe once all this is over I'll ask him._

_Knuckles got to see the weird thing as well. I think it freaked even him. I'm glad; it's good to know that guy can do something as normal as freak out. _

_I'm looking forward to rail-grinding; that stuff rocks! I can't wait to see what ol' Knucklehead makes of it! It's gonna be great!_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_Sonic made Robotnik. I just had to write that down. It's so weird I can't get my head around it yet. Neither of them ever said a word (though nobody chats to Robotnik!) and I think I kind of understand why Sonic kept quiet. If it was me I don't think I'd want other people to know either._

_Sonic made Robotnik. But how did Knuckles find out? I mean, really? He'd never met either of us until that whole Master Emerald thing._

_I'm glad I know though. I'm also glad me and Sonic made up; he's a nice guy really. Yeah. He's a nice guy and him and me and Knuckles are gonna take Robotnik down!_

_--Tails_

"You do this for _fun_?" Knuckles grated.

"Sure we do!" Sonic said brightly. "Along with bot-smashing, chili-dog-eating and that ever popular one, Robotnik-butt-kicking!"

Knuckles shut his eyes, then snapped them open again. Anything was better than the blackness of his own lids.

They had been grinding – against Knuckles' extremely outspoken wishes – for about ten minutes now. The echidna had been quick enough to grasp the basics, and he had no trouble balancing.on the narrow rail. The problems had started as soon as they'd left the station and Knuckles had gotten his first glimpse of the canyons some three miles below. In the end, Tails had flown above him and offered his ankles for support, helping to keep the echidna from flying off the edge. They'd progressed quite smoothly after that, and Knuckles had even relaxed enough to appreciate the area, particularly as they rounded a corner.

"What a view." The words were out of the echidna's mouth before he could stop them, and then he thought _what the hell_. There was no oddsing it though; the view was incredible.

"You bet!" Sonic leapt neatly onto the rail just in front of Knuckles and turned to face him, grinding backwards with his arms folded across his chest and a broad grin on his face. "C'mon Tails, let go. Let ol' Knucklehead try it for a bit on his own."

Knuckles opened his mouth to protest, but Tails had already released Knuckles and landed behind the echidna to give him a shove, sending him flying along the rail and into a siding that was banked on either side by large platforms, both of which held several barrels filled to the brim with water. Somehow managing to draw the strength into his legs, Knuckles leapt sideways off the rails and onto the firm platform.

"Ther-r-re," Sonic said patronisingly as he drew level with the echidna and ground to a halt, "that wasn't too painful, was it?"

"Did we have to loop the loop?"

"You didn't mind doing that back in the city! And yeah, we did. There's a wasp nest down the other way. It was hanging off one of the girders."

Knuckles perked up slightly.

"Yeah? You didn't happen to see any termite mounds, did you? What?" he added in response to their looks. "I missed breakfast this morning."

Sonic just shook his head despairingly.

"Tell me, Knux, do you even _have_ taste buds?"

"If by that you mean do I feel the urge to assault those taste buds with thermonuclear chili dogs, the answer is _no_."

"C'mon Knux; don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

"I have tried it, Sonic, and so I'll knock it whenever I damn well please. I don't know what you're complaining about anyway; if I don't touch it, then it's all the more for you and the kid, isn't it?"

Sonic considered this, then shrugged with a grin.

"True, I guess. Ooch over, Knux; some of us have important business to attend to."

"You really should have thought of that before we left."

"No! Not _that_ kind of important business, the other kind!"

"I wasn't aware that there was one," Knuckles said as delicately as he could. Sonic shook his head pityingly.

"Knux, Knux, _Knux_. I kinda get the whole idea that you don't go much on fun, but haven't you heard of relaxation?"

"Like what?"

"Sunbathing, my dreadlocked buddy!"

"These are not dreadlocks; they're spines."

"Whatever!" Sonic lay down, stretching out on his back, hands laced behind his head. "We're in a desert, not a cloud in sight. I'm gonna catch me some serious rays."

There was a long pause.

"Hey kid," Knuckles said in an undertone to Tails, "I wanna ask you something."

Tails shifted slightly.

"Uh...sure."

"We're a little over three miles above the ground and any stores, right?"

"Yeah."

"And we've been going constantly since leaving the Casino Zones, and Sonic didn't take anything from there?"

"Right."

"So can someone please explain to me where the hell he got those sunglasses!"

"Hidden talent, Knux-ol'-buddy-ol'-pal," Sonic said from underneath the sunglasses in question. "Never go anywhere without a pair of shades, 'cause you never know when you might end up on a platform suspended by railings three miles above a desert floor." He smirked. "And on that subject, are you just gonna stand around all day?"

Knuckles stared hard at him.

"That's rich coming from someone who's likely to spend the entire morning sunbathing!"

"On the contrary, my oh-so-sensitive scarlet sidekick; I am _not_ sunbathing. I am extremely busy collecting and storing vast amounts of solar energy so that in the unlikely event of a power failure, we can use me as a hedgehog battery."

There was a long silence. Then Knuckles said, "That's gotta be the worst excuse you've ever come up with."

"So sue me." Sonic waved a lazy hand as though brushing away an insect (no such luck, much to Knuckles' disgust) and stretched out, rolling over to tan his back. "Or be a buddy and go find me a chili dog."

Knuckles snorted.

"How you can eat those things in this weather..."

"I need the heat from the chili to ignite the solar energy. A lot of heat. Better make it about half a dozen chili dogs' worth, Knux-ol'-buddy-ol'-pal. And a couple ice creams to freeze the rest of the energy until we need it. And maybe a soda as well, to keep me from overheating. Yeah, a soda'd be good. Nothing diet, though; gotta keep my sugar levels up."

"What did your last slave die of, Sonic?" Knuckles said coldly.

"Happiness," Sonic answered without missing a beat, not opening his eyes. "Now go fetch the snacks like the nice buddy I know you really are underneath your hard and crusty exterior."

He grinned to himself as he heard the echidna walking away, mouth already watering at the thought of food.

"Knuckles, what are you doing?" Sonic heard Tails ask. "Knuckles, are you gonna—NO!"

"Huh?" Sonic started to sit up. "What?"

What felt like half a ton of water crashed down on the hedgehog, submerging him completely and drenching him from head to foot. Spluttering, Sonic pulled himself to his feet and glowered at Knuckles, who had now thrown the water drum away and was doing his best to look innocent.

"Oh man, I'm soaked!" Sonic complained.

"You don't say," Knuckles remarked. Sonic glared at him.

"I'm gonna kill you, Knucklehead!"

"Not with words, that's for sure." Knuckles shook his head, fixing the hedgehog with his best pitying look. "That name is so old it's lost its effect."

"Hm." Sonic cupped his jaw in one hand in an attitude of exaggerated thinking, an attitude belied by the smirk on his face. "You may be right, Knux. Hey Tails! Think you can come up with a nickname for this grumpy guardian? One that's not related to his own name?"

"Alliteration isn't the key, Sonic," Knuckles said, realising too late what he'd just let himself in for.

"Rad Red, maybe," Tails said thoughtfully, a gleam in his eyes that said he considered this fair payback for Knuckles' forcing Sonic to reveal his secret about Robotnik. "Or Crimson Storm."

"Can you two take the piss out of me _after_ we're done here?" Knuckles said tersely. Sonic's smirk broadened into a huge grin.

"Jeez, Knux, I thought you'd never ask!"

Knuckles turned away rather rapidly in an effort to hide his twitching lips.

_Man, did I walk into that one._

"We're not going to get done here at all if we don't leave _now_," he said aloud, in an effort to cover up his momentary lapse.

"Yeah. Hey, why don't we ride separately this time?" Sonic suggested. Knuckles shook his head.

"Forget it! The way things are playing out, without Tails' guidance I'll wind up going completely off the rails!"

There was a very long, very careful silence.

"I really set myself up for a zinger there, didn't I?" Knuckles said eventually.

Sonic and Tails both nodded in unison, their identical grins so wide that for a long moment they couldn't speak.

"Fine." Glad that his red complexion covered his embarrassed flush, Knuckles pushed past both of them and leapt onto the right hand rail, spinning around to generate the friction needed to accelerate and grinding away from the station.

"Hey!" Sonic followed him, jumping onto the rail next to the echidna's and accelerating to catch up. "Hey, c'mon Knux, admit it; it was funny!"

Knuckles half turned – he didn't dare risk grinding backwards yet – and stared hard at the hedgehog.

"No. It wasn't."

"You'd be laughing if I'd been the one who said it."

"You wouldn't be."

"I would," Sonic answered, still grinning. "C'mon, Knucklehead, you know me. I don't mind a joke at my expense, just so long as it's a good one."

"Whatever." Knuckles started to grind faster, but at that moment something large and black blew past him with the force of a small tornado and he staggered, the wind knocking him off balance and off the rail.

"Knuckles!" Faster than thought, Sonic lunged, grabbing the echidna's wrist. The sudden jerk of Knuckles' weight almost yanked him off the rail, but Tails seized the hedgehog's other arm and pulled hard, managing to right them both and tug them along the rail, one underneath the other until they reached the next platform. Although this one had the obligatory water barrels, it was slightly different in structure, having apparently been constructed around the mountain, allowing for entrance to the large caves within.

"Knuckles?" Sonic said lightly.

"What?"

"You mind taking your spikes out of my arm now?"

Knuckles blinked down to where blood was oozing out past the spikes in question. He didn't even remember digging them in; he supposed he must have done it instinctively when Sonic had seized him.

"Damn!" He wrenched the spikes out as if Sonic's arm had turned red-hot, eliciting a yelp from the hedgehog. "Jeez, Sonic, I'm sorry; I never intended to."

"I should damn well hope not!" Sonic said fervently and then, seeing that the echidna looked genuinely remorseful, shook his head. "Forget it, Knux. I like a few scars to impress the girls, you know? Drives 'em wild."

"You hurt Sonic?" Tails said, turning an accusing look on Knuckles.

"Chill, li'l bro," Sonic said, from where he was currently attempting to staunch the flow from his now profusely bleeding arm on his other glove. "I'm okay." He glanced at the echidna. "Y'know, I take back my earlier remark; your spikes really aren't just there for decoration."

Knuckles stripped off his gloves to expose the spikes in question, dumping the gloves into a water barrel in an effort to wash Sonic's blood off them.

"Which remark would that be, Sonic?"

"_You_ know," Sonic said lazily, coming over to join the echidna and wash his arm in the water. "Hope nobody's planning to drink this stuff," he added, glancing at the swirls of red in the clear liquid and reluctantly going up another notch in Knuckles' estimation; anyone who could keep up such a light-hearted and cocky outlook in the midst of what must be considerable pain was worth at least a little respect.

"If I knew, would I have asked you?"

"I'm talking about that time I said to you that your spikes were probably no use as anything except intimidation, like big feathers on a bird, and...and..." Sonic caught sight of the echidna's look and his voice trailed off. "Ah. That wasn't you I said that to, was it?"

"No."

"Ah. Right. Yeah. Uh, how 'bout we forget I ever mentioned it?" Sonic fixed Knuckles with his best appealing look.

"Suits me." Knuckles pulled out his gloves, decided they were clean enough and drew them back on. In any other circumstances, he would have attempted to match the insult Sonic had just given him, but he had just gouged out four chunks of flesh out of the hedgehog's arm. That alone was enough to make him swallow his pride in this case...not to mention the little fact that he now happened to owe Sonic his life. Speaking of which...

"Thanks."

Sonic looked astounded.

"For what? Insulting you?"

"No! For...back there, on the rails."

"What? Oh, that." Sonic waved a hand, grinning. "All in a day's work, Knucklehead. You can return the favour some time." He withdrew his arm, examining it critically. The bleeding had slowed, but not stopped entirely. It would have to do. Sonic didn't have time to stand around and wait. "C'mon, let's go."

"What?" Knuckles stared at him.

"You don't really wanna stand around all day, do you? This place is newly-built, it reeks of oil and metal...in short, it has Robotnik all over it."

"Your arm—"

"Nuts to my arm, Knux," Sonic said breezily. "I wanna see what's inside this place." He broke into a slow run, keeping just ahead of the other two as they rounded the corner together, then skidded to a stop as they caught sight of the robots beyond.

"Whoah!" Sonic stared openly at the closest robot, one that looked a little like an oversized pair of headphones. "What the _hell_ is that?"

"I dunno," Knuckles said, edging away slightly, "but I don't like it."

Tails looked from one to the other.

"Aw, c'mon guys; it's just another robot." Without waiting for a response, he launched himself towards it, tails spinning furiously.

"Wait!" Sonic started forward, but it was too late. The robot, which had been hovering so peacefully up until then, struck, enveloping Tails in a force field too strong to get out of.

"Tails!" Sonic lunged forward, but Knuckles seized his arm, digging his heels in as hard as he could.

"Don't be an idiot!" he yelled. "It'll just take you too!"

"Let _go_ of me!" Sonic all but shrieked, writhing furiously in the echidna's hold, oblivious to the other robots that were now pointing their weapons at the pair.

"No, I need you to cover me! I'll get the kid. _You_ try and stop anything sneaking up behind!" Without waiting for a response, Knuckles let go of Sonic and raced for the robot, leaping to grab Tails' wrist and hang on, dangling from the fox's limbs helplessly, unable to pull him free. It was so rare for the echidna's strength to be inadequate that for a few minutes Knuckles had no idea how to handle it.

One of the robots that Sonic apparently hadn't gotten around to smashing yet seized Knuckles' ankles at that point and pulled, dragging him and Tails out of the force field and back to ground level.

"Thanks," Knuckles told it, then smashed both fists into its head. The robot dropped them immediately, short-circuiting, and above it the echidna was dimly aware of Sonic attacking the robot that had dared to lay a finger on Tails, with such extreme prejudice that what finally crashed to the ground no longer bore any resemblance to a robot.

"Shaa!" Knuckles stared at the wreckage, then at Sonic. "I'm impressed." He got to his feet, Tails not far behind.

"You okay, li'l buddy?" Sonic said. Tails nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"Cool." Sonic looked around. "What _is_ this place?"

Knuckles crossed the floor to stand on the very edge of one of the giant holes in the centre.

"This sounds weird, but I think it's some kind of gun."

"Gun?" A mischievous gleam crept into Sonic's eyes. "Hey, maybe we should shoot off a round."

"NO!" Knuckles all but yelled.

"C'mon, it'll be fun."

"That's what you've been saying all along! So far all I've had is a load of damn bots and things trying to kill me!"

"What, you don't call that fun?" Sonic asked, his tones a little too innocent.

"We don't have any ammo, anyway," Knuckles said, in the manner of a drowning man seizing a rope.

"Oh yes we do." Grinning, Sonic leapt into one of the huge mouths, dragging Tails and Knuckles after him.

The echidna closed his eyes tightly. It had turned out that the drowning man's rope was tied to an anchor.

"Don't do it, Sonic!"

Sonic snorted.

"C'mon; you rode the tables, didn't you? They had holes in them. Most of them shot you off the edge, or you got fired out of a cannon onto one table or another."

"Yeah, Sonic, but when that happened, I knew that I'd just drop ten or fifteen feet and land on a hard surface."

"So? What's so different about that to this?"

"The ten or fifteen feet part! We don't know what's at the other end! We don't even know which way the cannon's facing."

Sonic seemed, as far as Knuckles could tell in the dark, dejected.

"Yeah, you're right. We've no idea where we could end up."

"Exactly." Knuckles relaxed slightly, a relaxation that lasted right up until Sonic said, "Let's find out," and hit the fire button.

The explosion was like nothing Knuckles had ever experienced, accelerating them out of the gun mouth faster than even Sonic could run, the resultant g-force almost blacking the trio out. The pressure closed in around the echidna's lungs, making it almost impossible to draw breath, and he offered up a silent plea to the Master Emerald, telling it that he'd be the most devoted guardian in echidna history if it would just help him get through this in one piece.

A loud "WHOO-_HOO_!" from next to him pulled him back to the present and Knuckles forced his eyes open, squinting heavily against the rushing wind.

"Tails, grab Sonic and fly him over here so I can punch him!"

"It's okay!" Tails yelled back. "Sonic'd never let us get hurt; he's the greatest hedgehog on all Mobius!"

Which was all very well, Knuckles thought sourly, until you considered the fact that the greatest hedgehog on all Mobius was currently spinning himself over and over in midair like some crazy drill bit and yodelling like a lunatic.

"Was this part of your master plan to get Robotnik?" Knuckles shouted at Sonic.

"Yeah!"

"So what's the next part? Because in case you haven't noticed, we're currently heading for a sheer cliff!"

Sonic stopped spinning and shrieking for a few minutes.

"What's the point of blowing up a sheer cliff? There'll be something there from the last thing the gun fired, a hole or something!" He rolled onto his back, grinning broadly at Knuckles and lacing his hands behind his head as though he was lying on the beach.

"Sonic!" That was Tails. "Sonic, look!"

"Huh?" Sonic rolled onto his side to follow Tails' pointing finger and saw the narrow blackness of a pass. "Oh, right." He looked back at Knuckles. "See, Knux? Everything works out in the end, huh?"

"Sonic, you—" The wind snatched the echidna's words away, which probably wasn't such a bad thing given the circumstances, and the next thing Sonic heard was "—and throw you in!"

Sonic feigned an injured look.

"Nice! I get you off your stuffy little island, take you out for a bit of real fun and this is how you thank me! Next time Tails and I'll just go have fun on our own!"

"Promises, promises!" Knuckles shouted back.

"Have I got you killed or injured yet, Knux?" Sonic said in an equally injured tone. "C'mon, just trust me!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"We have had this conversation at least twice before, and we are _not_ going to have it a third time; I'm not the trusting type!"

"Your loss, buddy!" Sonic turned back to face the pass, which was almost on them. "You see?" he called back as the three of them flew in, missing the rock wall by the barest fraction of an inch. "No sweat!"

How they survived, Knuckles never knew. Somehow, they did. Somehow, the three of them flew through that impossibly narrow pass, somehow they avoided the beams and props that lined their way and somehow they managed to land squarely on the rails beyond, one to each of them, and accelerate away.

"If we survive this insanity, remind me to kill you!" Knuckles shouted over the wind. On the middle rail, Sonic spun around, grinding backwards and grinning broadly.

"C'mon, admit it; that was one hell of a wild trip!" he yelled back.

"Wild being the word! I think my heart stopped!"

"Like I keep telling you, Knux, you really gotta live a little."

Knuckles made a gesture at Sonic that was probably incomprehensible to a non-echidna but which nevertheless made him feel a lot better. Shaking his head, Sonic laughed, giddy with exhilaration.

"Sonic?" Knuckles' eyes suddenly widened in an almost comical fashion and he pointed. "Sonic, behind you!"

"Oh c'_mo_-on, you really expect me to fall for that?" Sonic laughed again.

He was still laughing when the rail he was grinding abruptly came to an end, sending him flying into open air.

**So...what do you think? Wanna see more? Please take a minute to hit the Review button (I accept anonymous reviews, so there's no excuse) ;)**


	9. Moving On

**Kj: Thanks for the review :) No, this isn't my version of _Sonic Heroes_; like I told FriedBrickWall in the last chapter, it draws influences from several games and universes. Amy and Co...your guess is as good as mine ;) And besides, you don't want me to spoil it, do you:P**

**FriedBrickWall: (grins) Yeah, I remember the level too; one of my favourite ones :P The ending of the last chapter was pretty much what happened to me the first time I played it as well...after that I always used the flying character for rail-grinding. At least then I never missed a rail ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11460_

_Sonic's dead._

_Even putting it down on paper doesn't make it any easier to believe, but it's only fitting that the record should show this. When we were rail-grinding, Sonic took a tumble. He fell just over three miles onto solid rock; there's no way he could have survived that._

_Tails is in shock, not to mention extreme denial. To tell the truth, I don't think I'm much better. I never hero-worshipped Sonic like the kid did, but I guess something about his eternal cocky playfulness and optimism got to me after all; I can't believe someone as annoyingly perky as that is gone._

_In all honesty, though, I'd be lying if I said I was wholly amazed. I'm shocked, sure, but not especially surprised. Given Sonic's cockiness, I've been half expecting him to come to grief sooner or later. Pride comes before a fall and all that. That said, I never expected anything like this. If I had to make a prediction, I'd have said that Sonic would have a too-close call – a little like when he fell off that Casino platform – and it would sober him up. I never expected him to actually die._

_Whenever I try to remember Sonic, the image that always comes to mind is the memory of the three of us racing each other through the city, and flying through that window. It got too tense after that, in the power plant, and before it was Amy. Playing pinball and bingo was good too, but I still always remember that race through the city, and Sonic running backwards just to taunt me and Tails with that damn cocky grin on his face. Bridge Zone is best described as annoying (and humiliating for me), and the Casino Zones were a little too geared to individual activity, and the railtrack is too close to Sonic's death for comfort, but the race through the city...yeah. That was a good time._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_Sonic and Knuckles and I went rail-grinding today, only Sonic slipped off one of the rails and fell. He must be pretty badly hurt or he'd have come back to us by now. I gotta go look for him. He's probably lying injured down there on the ground somewhere and he needs my help._

_--Tails_

"Sonic!" Knuckles lunged, his fingers brushing the hedgehog's just long enough to allow him to hope before slipping off. Damn!

Glancing wildly around, Knuckles caught sight of Tails flying up ahead.

"Tails! Tails, get back here! I need you!"

The wind snatched his words away – he was already a hundred yards past where Sonic had fallen – and he twisted around, trying to accelerate and catch up with the fox.

He not only caught up with Tails, he almost flattened him as he blew past him and into a station.

"Tails! Go back!"

"Huh?" Tails drew level and stopped. "What d'you mean, go back? Where's Sonic?"

"He fell!" Knuckles answered tersely, bent double and gasping for breath; grinding was harder than it looked. "Go...get after him...you might be able to catch—"

Tails was already moving before Knuckles had finished the word 'Go'. Leaping over the edge, tails whirring frantically, he zoomed off under the rails and was soon lost to sight.

Knuckles looked around. He didn't think anyone would get to him here, but it never hurt to take precautions. Reaching out, he lifted one of the crates and balanced it on two others, then pushed three more behind it and crawled into his makeshift cave to wait for Tails' return. The kid was damn fast when he wanted to be; maybe he'd be in time. Maybe Sonic wouldn't have hit the ground yet, maybe Tails would reappear with the hedgehog dangling from his ankles.

He doubted it, but maybe.

* * *

"Knuckles! _Knuckles_!"

The echidna jerked awake.

"Was not!" he said reflexively, then attempted to straighten up and banged his head on the surrounding crates. "Ow!"

Rubbing his sore pate, he emerged, coming face to face with Tails.

"Is Sonic back yet?"

"Does it look like he's back?" Knuckles demanded, hunger and drowsiness making him more irritable than usual.

Tails chewed his bottom lip for a few minutes, then brightened up.

"He must've landed and gone looking for a good place to climb. I'll see if I can find him."

Before Knuckles could say another word, the fox had taken off again. The echidna sighed. He'd wait for Tails to get back; the last thing the kid needed was to be left completely alone. Sooner or later – and for the kid's sake, he hoped it was sooner, before decomposition got a hold – Tails would run across Sonic's body. Then maybe he could start dealing with it.

Knuckles settled down, back against the fence, and waited.

By the end of the third day, however, the echidna's patience – never his strongest suit at the best of times – was running increasingly thin. He was ravenous, he was bored and he was getting increasingly frustrated with Tails' obtuseness. The kid had been back once again and insisted that Sonic was still alive, that since he couldn't find him he must have got up and raced away. Knuckles supposed you'd say anything rather than face the truth in this situation.

But it was damned annoying, just the same!

"Knux?" That was Tails, sounding very weary. He came to hover over the platform and didn't land so much as collapse. "Knux, is he—"

"No, he's not, and I don't think he's likely to either," Knuckles said. Tails had shown an irritating tendency to bolt whenever the echidna started to suggest that Sonic might not have survived the fall, but Knuckles was determined he wasn't going to let Tails get away with that this time.

Tails drew in a deep breath.

"You're right."

Knuckles blinked. That had been a lot easier than he'd anticipated.

His relief was summarily shattered when Tails added, "I dunno if you can get up here without flying. And he might have gone to find food...maybe we should check the Casino Zones—" He took off, beating his tails with obvious effort.

"No, wait." Knuckles caught hold of Tails' ankle wth one hand and wrapped the other around a strut. The fox glowered at him.

"I _can't_ wait! Sonic could be hurt! He needs me!"

"Sonic's waited three days for you to find him, kid. I think he'll wait a little longer." Knuckles hauled Tails down to eye level. "You and me, we gotta talk."

"If you're gonna ask me to take you back to your island so you can get back to guarding your beloved Mister Emerald—"

"Master!" Knuckles interrupted sharply; no matter how much Tails was hurting, he was damned if he'd let the kid get away with insulting his sacred duty. Tails continued, overriding him.

"—then sure! As soon as Sonic comes back, we can leave whenever you like."

Knuckles took a long, deep breath, wishing he didn't have to be the one to say it.

"Tails, listen to me."

Knuckles' use of his name was so rare and unexpected that Tails obeyed, coming back to the ground with a bump. Knuckles took another deep breath and went on.

"Sonic's...he's...well, he's not coming back."

"That's not true!"

"Yeah, it is. It's just not what you want to hear."

Tails shook his head stubbornly.

"I flew all around the canyons and things and I never found his body."

"Right..." Knuckles hesitated, wondering how best to phrase what was going through his mind at that precise moment; to wit, after a three mile drop onto solid rock, there probably wouldn't be much of a body left to find. _And how come _I_ have to be the damn voice of reason and maturity here?_ he wondered irritably.

"Sonic could be lying hurt somewhere. I have to find him."

Various options flashed through Knuckles' mind at this point and he picked the one he usually went for; near brutality.

"Sonic fell over three _miles_, kid. There's no way in hell he could have survived a fall like that; he can't fly like you or glide like me. He's dead." Somehow, saying those two words drove the point home and Knuckles' hand fell away from Tails. "He's dead," the echidna repeated quietly, more to himself than to the fox, then glanced up at him again. "You can fly around as much as you like; you will _never – bring – him – back_."

Tails, who had been shaking his head with increasing fervour during this dialogue, finally stopped to glare at Knuckles.

"You're lying!"

"I wish to the Master Emerald that I were!" Knuckles shook his head. "Tails, Sonic's gone. I don't know how else to say it!"

Tails stared hard at him, muscles so tense he was quivering all over.

"I hate you!"

Knuckles shrugged, for once taking no offence. Loss of a close friend or relative made people speak out of turn.

"Whatever." He didn't add what was obvious to him; that if Sonic hadn't been so cocky about showing off, he would have seen the end of that rail and most probably survived. "That won't bring Sonic back either. But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and hate me."

Tails looked away, frustrated by Knuckles' lack of emotion, then abruptly looked back at him.

"Knuckles? If-if Sonic really is...you know...what's gonna happen to the Chaos Emeralds? What's gonna happen to 'em? Can they be destroyed?"

"No. At least, not by something as trivial as being dropped."

"Great." Tails curled up into a fetal position, chewing on the ends of both tails, something he hadn't done since he'd been a very young cub. "So whoever comes along is gonna get all five emeralds. S'pose it's Robotnik?"

Knuckles shook his head.

"We don't need to worry about that. Whoever finds Sonic's b—well, whoever finds the emeralds won't get five of them. They'll get four Chaos Emeralds and one regular one." When Tails looked at him, bemused, Knuckles pulled out one of the Chaos Emeralds. "I took this from Sonic while he was sleeping, back in the Bridge Zone. I knew Robotnik would be looking for the rest of the emeralds, and if he thought Sonic had them all, there was a chance that I could hide this one somewhere on Angel Island."

"You didn't _tell_ him?"

"I didn't want to take the chance that either of you might be captured and tortured," Knuckles said with almost frightening composure.

"You don't trust him. Even though he trusts you, you don't trust him."

"He may have trusted me—" Knuckles stressed the preterite ever so slightly— "but I told you already; I'm not the trusting type. Besides, I don't believe he could have held out indefinitely if he was tortured."

"Torture?" Tails' body jerked. "You're not...you don't think..."

"I don't think any torture could make the least bit of difference to him. But just to be on the safe side, if you're gonna fly off on another wild goose chase looking for an imaginary sadist, any chance you could drop me off at a fast food stand on your way?" Knuckles said with acid sarcasm. "You're not the only one affected by this, you know."

"That's rich!" Tails shot the echidna a killing stare. "You didn't even like Sonic."

Knuckles sighed. They'd never covered situations like _this_ in Guardian training!

"Wrong, kid. I did like the blue spikeball, although I understand why you might not believe that." It was, by and large, the truth. Even when they'd been arguing or fighting, Knuckles had never actually hated Sonic and certainly never wished him dead.

The fox planted both fists on his hips.

"You were the one he was talking to. You were the one he was looking at. It should've been you who went over that rail, not Sonic."

"Yeah? Well, sorry to disappoint you, kid. But I _wasn't_ the one who insisted on firing us out of a giant cannon."

Tails glared at him so fiercely that even Knuckles was taken aback.

"What're you saying? That Sonic _deserved_ to die?"

"I never said that, Tails, and I never will. But – grief aside – it wasn't my fault this happened. It wasn't my fault, it wasn't _your_ fault and it wasn't Sonic's fault either, not really. It was an accident. A damn nasty one, but still just an accident." In a way it was almost ironic; after all the battles and traps Sonic had survived, he'd fallen at such an easy fence. "I'm glad it wasn't you, though," Knuckles added bluntly, "since Sonic and I'd never get out of this place without flying."

"So now you're saying that you're _glad_ Sonic's hurt?"

"He's not hurt, kid, he's _dead,_" Knuckles said, a little more sharply than he'd intended. "Get that through your thick skull; he is dead. Gone. Finished. He's eaten his last chili dog, ground his last rail, kicked his last butt—" Knuckles raised his voice as Tails shoved past him, hands clamped over his ears and took off, flying as hard as he could towards the area where Sonic had fallen. "Pick your cliché, kid; I got more!"

Tails was already out of earshot and didn't answer, at least, not that the echidna could hear. If the kid didn't come back in a few hours, then screw him. Knuckles would set off on his own; his hunger really was intense now.

It was considerably more than a few hours later when Tails eventually got back, landing and looking around.

"Knuckles? _Knuckles_?"

The echidna poked his head out of his cave.

"So you came back, huh?"

"Uh, yeah. I brought you a chili dog." Tails offered the food to Knuckles, who took it with an inward wince. Spicy food really wasn't his thing, although right at that moment he was too hungry to care. Besides, it wasn't the food so much as the gesture; Tails obviously wanted to make peace and so Knuckles bit into the food, wincing inwardly as it ignited his throat.

"I can't find him," Tails said suddenly. "I can't find him _anywhere_, Knuckles, and I've looked and looked."

Knuckles shook his head slowly. Something in the kid's appealing tones got to him; Tails was obviously hoping he'd say something along the lines of how he just wasn't looking in the right place, or that Sonic had probably gone on ahead.

Well, screw that. He'd give Tails all the leeway and allowance he needed to cope with his loss, but first the kid had to acknowledge that loss.

"You and I both know that you're not going to." In a way, the echidna was relieved; given the state Sonic was probably in by now, it was just as well the kid hadn't been able to find him. The scavengers would have found the remains by now; there'd be nothing left except possibly his sneakers. And the birds...they always went for the eyes first, didn't they?

Knuckles shivered; he was starting to creep himself out. Over the other side, Tails sat down hard, staring numbly into space, legs dangling over the edge of the platform. The echidna didn't push him to talk. He remembered when his mother had died; the then six-year-old Knuckles had woken up and she'd been lying stiff and cold next to him. He'd run out of their cave and into the Marble Garden Zone, where he'd burrowed into the long grass and lain face-down there for the entire day, not moving, not speaking.

"He could still be alive," Tails said, but not very hopefully.

"Tails..."

"He could!"

"Get. _Real_. There's no way he's still alive and the sooner you get that into your head the sooner we can decide what to do next!" Knuckles shook his head. "Jeez, kid, you think you're the only person who's ever lost someone?" When Tails continued looking away stubbornly, he continued. "Because you're damn well not! There are people out there in exactly the same position as you. There're probably people who have lost someone in the last five minutes. What's a normal day for one person is life-shattering for someone else." The echidna sighed. "Ah, screw it; I'm no good at this philosophy crap. I just know that you're not the only one who's felt like that."

"Oh, like _you_ know." Tails twisted around to stare at Knuckles. "You don't feel anything except superior."

"Hey!" Knuckles rapped out sharply. When Tails continued to stare at him angrily, the echidna levelled a finger at him, eyes narrowed in cold anger. "Don't you _dare_ tell me I don't feel, kid, or that I don't know what it's like to lose someone. Because I had to bury my own mother when I was younger than you are now, so as far as I'm concerned I've done more than my fair share of _feeling_, as you put it."

Tails continued staring at him, but the gaze had changed, become less angry and more curious.

"What happened?"

Knuckles shrugged.

"She'd been carrying some kind of disease for a long time. One morning in the middle of winter, I woke up next to her dead body. I spent that whole day lying face-down in the Marble Garden Zone, and I couldn't go back into the mountains for about six months. By that time, there was nothing left but the bones. I took them and buried them in Sandopolis. Like I said, I was only six years old at the time."

Tails tried to imagine a six-year-old Knuckles and found he couldn't. His imagination rebelled.

"At least Sonic went out with a bang," Knuckles added, then saw the half anguished, half murderous look that Tails turned on him and held up both hands, palm outwards. "Sorry. Sorry. Bad choice of words."

Tails jumped up and grabbed Knuckles' hand tightly, drawing a startled look from the echidna.

"Knuckles, we gotta get to Robotnik. We gotta stop him like S...we gotta stop him. And you gotta help me! Knuckles, swear you'll help me and won't go home until Robotnik's finished!"

Knuckles' look sharpened, but Tails didn't let go. He'd always been slightly in awe of the echidna, not because of any great achievements, but because of his toughness. Tails had never quite been able to figure out why – when Sonic had been in countless battles against Robotnik – Knuckles was the one who had the air of a war veteran.

"Swear to me!" Tails repeated fervently. There was a gleam in the fox's eyes that Knuckles seriously didn't like the look of.

_Why should I bother? I've already neglected my duty for far too long. I should get back home, back to the Master Emerald._

Knowledge and a desire to return to his duty surged up in Knuckles, where they met the memory of how Sonic had saved his life coming the other way and so the echidna said to Tails, "I swear."

Tails pounded small fists against the echidna's chest.

"That's not good enough!"

"No?" The blows hurt, but they weren't dangerous and so Knuckles let Tails carry on. "Why not?"

"You _never_ keep your word!" Even though it was the pain talking, Knuckles still had to quiet a sudden urge to slap the kid for those words; such an accusation was close to killing talk in echidna society. "Swear to me! Make some kind of weird echidna promise that you can't break no matter what!"

"There's no such thing as a weird echidna promise," Knuckles informed him calmly. "We don't need them; an echidna's word is his or her bond. That's all."

"That's not good enough!" Tails repeated. Knuckles spread his hands in surrender.

"Okay. Fine. What do you want me to swear by?"

"I don't know! Anything!"

Knuckles shook his head.

"Kid, be rational about this. If I pick some random intangible object, you won't be any happier than you are now."

"I don't know what echidnas usually swear by!" Tails fell back from the echidna, exhausted and panting for breath. An idea occurred to him, and he looked up at Knuckles. "Swear it...swear by the Master Emerald."

Knuckles smiled quietly. Clever, clever little fox.

"Fine. I swear by the Master Emerald that I won't rest until Robotnik is taken down once and for all, and that I'll help you as much as I can until then."

Tails stared hard into Knuckles' eyes, searching for some hint of deceit. The echidna looked back impassively.

"He'll go down, right? He'll go down _hard_."

"Yeah. Yeah, Tails, he will. I swear."

Tails fell back, relief obvious in his face. Knuckles considered his words, then gave an inward shrug. If the kid thought revenge would make him feel better, well, he was wrong, but taking down Robotnik wouldn't be a bad thing for any reason.

"You promise, right?"

"Yes, Tails, I _promise_ that Robotnik will go down and go down hard!" Knuckles leaned back against the wall. "Go on. Get some sleep. I'll watch."

"Sorry Knux," Tails mumbled. The echidna blinked.

"For what?"

"Looks like you're gonna wind up with a little brother after all, least until we're done with Robotnik."

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Kid, you're half delirious with exhaustion. You don't know what you're saying. Get some _sleep_. We'll tackle Robotnik in the morning. We'll find his hideout, find _him_, and then take him down."

Looking over at Tails, he saw that the kid was already asleep. Knuckles nodded slightly, then leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

_Now make it happen_, he thought grimly.

**And for all those people who have been able to take ten minutes to read and not two minutes to review, may your internet connection be devoured by a herd of angry beavers (just kidding ;)) Seriously though, please do review. I really would like to know that I'm not putting all this effort in for nothing ;)**


	10. Forward Planning

**Wow, so many reviews! (happy smile) Thanks guys. Hmm...I should kill off Sonic more often weg**

**FriedBrickWall: (grins) Well, it _probably_ takes two minutes to review :P Certainly less time to review than to read ;) I'm not sure when they find time to write in the diaries either...somehow they manage ;) And no, I'm sure Knuckles won't mind being thrown either ;) (_Knuckles: I have a better idea. How about I come out and write the story and YOU risk life and limb in here?_)**

**Treasurehunter: Thanks :) And no worries; I'll continue (am also working on a sequel to this one)**

**TC chan: Yes, it makes perfect sense, and that was the effect I was going for :) I'd been working on Sonic's fall from about chapter 2 onwards, writing and rewriting, so I'm glad it worked :D**

**Samantha27: Sadly, I don't usually forget stuff when I'm writing; it's sort of my forte ;) Besides, if I'd taken the fall out, I'd have had to rewrite the summary and a lot of filler paragraphs; I'm kinda lazy :P**

_Guardian's Log no. 11461_

_So we're off again. I managed to persuade Tails to pull me along the rail and away from this place. I've lost my taste for rail-grinding...not that I ever really developed it. We're planning a crazy, suicidal attack on Robotnik's fortress. Unfortunately, I swore I'd help him, swore it by the Master Emerald, so there's no way out._

_I think Tails has accepted the fact that Sonic's not coming back. Emphasis on 'think'; it took a while for us to leave as Tails wanted to double-check the canyons. I might've let him, except if I had I don't think we'd ever have got away. It's got to be hard on the kid though. Sonic was pretty much all the family he had. _

_That's a thought; if we succeed in this damn stupid mission, what's going to happen to Tails? Is he expecting me to adopt him? Well...he's welcome to come back to the Island with me, but I don't do that happy family crap._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_RIP Sonic. Me and Knuckles'll carry on the fight for you. Can't write any more just now._

_--Tails_

"Knuckles?" Tails said. "Can't we just _check_, see if Sonic's—"

Knuckles growled out a few choice epithets, silencing the fox. In fairness to him, Tails had been asking the same question over and over again for the past fifteen minutes.

"Okay. Okay. Yeah. You're right." Tails padded over to the campfire despondently; he hadn't flown since they'd left the rails. Knuckles wasn't sure if this was because of his depression or because he simply wanted to give his tails a rest. Tails flopped down in front of the fire – the dawn air was still cold – and glanced up. "Hey Knuckles, d'you remember how me and Sonic met you?"

The words _I try not to_ screamed up the echidna's throat and evaporated. If this was the kid's way of coping...well, alright. Reaching up, he selected a likely-looking branch and broke it off, then speared several sausages on the end and sat down to hold it over the flames.

"Yeah. You arrived out the blue and Robotnik convinced me you were going to steal the Master Emerald. Like a prat, I believed him." He shrugged. "Got over it in the end though, didn't I?"

"After you dumped us into an underwater labyrinth!"

"Hydrocity," Knuckles said dismissively. "Yeah."

"And you always laughed at us just before doing it!"

"Yeah?" A reluctant grin appeared on the echidna's face. "Can you blame me? Especially with the look on Sonic's face; that whole _What? Not again! _expression was pretty funny."

Tails turned the glare up a few watts.

"Only to you!"

"That's alright. I was the only one I wanted to entertain. Besides, I don't get many visitors in the sacred part; they all tend to make a beeline for the theme park. I make my own amusement where I can."

Tails gawked at him.

"You have a _theme park_?"

"Yeah. Cost me a large chunk of my hoard to put together, but it's been well worth it; most people don't even know the Master Emerald exists now. What did you think, kid? That I was the only person living on that island?"

"Yeah! When I asked you, you said you were!"

"You asked me if there were any other echidnas. You didn't ask me if I was the only person who lived there. What did you think Carnival Night Zone was about? I was there when Robotnik tried to sabotage the opening of it. He turned the whole thing into a giant claw machine." Knuckles shook his head. "Man, there were some strange entries in my log during that time."

"_You_ keep a journal?" Tails said incredulously.

"A log."

"What's the difference?"

"This was started by my father, who was the guardian before me. It's been passed down." Knuckles shrugged. "Other than that, no real difference. I like to update it at night, just before I go to sleep. It's the closest thing I got to an actual hobby."

"Don't you ever wanna get out and _meet_ people?"

"I have a sacred duty, kid, one that I can't just disregard as and when I please for no better reason than to meet people. And besides, I don't like them."

"You told me once that you understand people completely," Tails protested.

"That's _why_ I don't like them." Knuckles turned the sausages over and wished he'd thought to grab some bread as well.

"But you said you liked S-Sonic." Tails' voice caught slightly on Sonic's name, but he rallied bravely and continued. "An' you like me, right?"

Knuckles shot him a look. It was easy to forget that under all his mechanical genius, the kid was just that; a kid.

"I like individuals just fine, Tails. It's people as a whole I can't stand." He stared into the embers, wishing there was some more wood; the sausages would take forever to cook at this rate.

"Knuckles?"

"Hm?"

"Sonic's…" Tails swallowed hard and then plunged on. "He really is dead, isn't he?"

It was only with a supreme effort that Knuckles managed to refrain from saying that that was what he'd been trying to tell Tails all along, but he managed it and settled for, "Yeah kid, he's dead."

Tails pulled himself off the ground to sit down on a large, flat rock and stared morosely into the fire, not really seeing it.

"I should've stayed back. I could've helped him."

_Here it comes_, Knuckles thought darkly. _The guilt trip_. _The whole oh-why-wasn't-it-me-it's-all-my-fault deal._

He sighed. It had looked like being such a nice day as well. Oh well, maybe he could still salvage some of it.

"Kid, you didn't kill Sonic. His death – yes, his _death_," Knuckles added sharply, seeing Tails wince away from him, "his _death_ was _not_ your fault. It wasn't my fault and it wasn't your fault. Okay?"

"You should've warned him."

"I tried. It wasn't my fault he—" Knuckles broke off and pointed. "Tails, look out behind you!"

The fox sent him a withering glare.

"Oh puh-leeze, Knuckles. Like I'm really gonna fall for that old trick."

"Yeah?" The echidna dropped his hand. "Funny. That's pretty much what Sonic said when I tried to warn him. You don't think I _wanted_ the guy to plunge to his death, do you?"

There was a silence, one which was too awkward and too long.

"Oh." Knuckles reached out and turned the branch over again, starting to brown the sausages on the other side. "Oh, I _see_."

"You could've caught him."

"For the love of the emeralds, kid, don't you think I _tried_?"

"Why didn't you grab him, Knuckles? You saw him so why didn't you go back and grab him? Why didn't you save him?"

Knuckles lifted the branch out of the fire, selected the most well-done of the sausages and took a bite. Chewing and swallowing, he stared hard at Tails, spoke coldly.

"Why didn't _you_?"

Tails recoiled as though Knuckles had struck him.

"I tried! You know I tried!"

"I know you failed, kid. You want to point fingers, point 'em at yourself."

"I _hate_ you."

"You said that already," Knuckles said, refusing to rise, although there was a level of venom in Tails' voice that hadn't been there the first time. "Like I told you, if it makes you feel better, hate me all you want. I don't care. I don't even care if you want to think Sonic's death didn't mean anything to me." Knuckles lowered his voice to an intense growl. "But I'll be damned if I let you think that Sonic died and all I did was stand and watch it happen!"

"You were happy enough to do that on your precious Island."

"How many times?" Knuckles said testily. "I believed what Robotnik said, that you two were coming to steal the Master Emerald. Fine. Okay. My bad." He considered. "And anyway, I didn't want you dead _all_ the time."

"Took a few volts to the head to change your mind, though, didn't it?"

Knuckles swore. He'd been doing that a lot lately, he noticed.

"And how do I know you're not gonna abandon me?" Tails added.

"I swore by the Master Emerald, didn't I?"

"Not good enough," Tails muttered into his fur.

"You picked the oath, kid. As it happens that's one of the promises I can't break, even if I wanted to." Knuckles shook his head and took another bite of the sausage. "Such a thing would stain my honour irreparably."

"Oh sure!" Tails yelled, leaping to his feet. "Yeah, but that's not gonna do me any good, is it? I'm about to get pulverised by one of Robotnik's pets and you can just waltz off with no more than a stain to your oh-so-precious honour!"

Knuckles stared at him, unsure how to proceed. How did you explain to a recently bereaved two-tailed fox kid that honour was everything to an echidna, more important than food or drink, even more important than their own life? You did _nothing_ to tarnish it, upon pain of disgrace, exile or even death. Knuckles would no more do anything to besmirch his own honour than he would offer up the Master Emerald as a raffle prize.

"I think you just went along with it because you knew you could weasel out anytime you wanted," Tails continued, breathing heavily. "Sonic was right all along; you're nothing but a _coward_!"

There was a very long, very deadly silence. Judging from the slow flush creeping across Tails' face, even he knew he'd gone too far.

Knuckles nodded slightly, as though an unspoken question had been answered.

"You're hurting, kid, hurting bad. I respect such things – believe it or not – and so I'll pretend that you didn't say that. But I'll tell you something; pain or no pain, screaming and shouting insults at me isn't going to accomplish anything except a sore throat." When Tails continued to stare at him, Knuckles offered the branch. "Here, have a sausage."

"Don't want a sausage," Tails muttered.

"I don't care if you want it or not. I'm telling you you're gonna eat it if I have to hold your nose and ram it down your throat myself. You haven't eaten in three days, and the last thing either of us want or need is for you to pass out just as Robotnik's showing up."

Tails shook his head mutinously, although he knew the echidna was determined and strong enough to make good on his threat.

"I said I don't want a sausage."

Something in his tone got through, because Knuckles withdrew the branch and said calmly, "Alright then, what _do_ you want?"

Tails hesitated.

"We're not leaving to take Robotnik down or do anything else until you have some food inside you," the echidna added immovably, "so you might as well choose now." He placed the food carefully next to Tails and busied himself tying the two sleeping bags together to facilitate travel. Knuckles himself never used the things; the spare one had been Sonic's, and even the echidna balked at the idea of asking Tails to leave it behind. Hell, it was all the kid had to remind him of his hero.

"I want a salad."

Knuckles laughed in disbelief.

"You want a _what_?" When Tails turned a somewhat pained look on him, he held up both hands in surrender. "Whatever. You want a salad, we'll find you one, long as you're going to eat it. In the meantime—" he glanced around, then snagged a fruit and tossed it over— "start with that," he added, sliding the remaining three sausages off the branch and storing them for later. The sooner he could get some food down the kid the better; Knuckles was really starting to worry about Tails, although he'd never admit as much to the fox.

"Knux!" Tails said suddenly. "Knux, look!"

Knuckles followed the pointing finger to see the glint of the sun off metal robot armour, swore loudly, imaginatively and for a considerable amount of time before catching sight of the nothing-void and jerking back convulsively.

"Where did _that_ come from?"

"It appears out of thin air." Tails dropped the fruit. "We gotta go."

For once, Knuckles didn't argue. He wasn't sure why, but even looking at that void terrified him.

"It's moving faster than it did before," the echidna said, edging away. "And it's expanding as well."

"The bots don't seem to mind it," Tails said, rather sourly.

"I don't think Robotnik fits his minions with a fear chip, Tails. Besides, what do they have to worry about? They don't need air, so losing it shouldn't bother them."

"Knuckles?" Tails tensed. "I think they've seen us."

Knuckles was sure they had. Robotnik's minions didn't waste time shooting at empty air. Tails clenched his fists and took off.

"Let's get 'em!"

"Let's _not_." Knuckles caught hold of Tails' ankles and dug his heels into the ground, putting all his weight behind it. Taken by surprise, the fox dropped, sending them rolling over in a tangle of arms, legs and spines. Raising his head, Tails spat out a mouthful of dirt and turned a killing stare on the echidna.

"What're you _doing_?"

"Saving you," Knuckles said tersely. "They outnumber us by about seven to one and most of 'em are underneath that void or whatever the hell it is."

"No contest!"

"You're right, kid. It wouldn't be a contest. It would be a damn execution. _Ours_," Knuckles added, just in case there was any misunderstanding on this point.

"Sonic could have—"

Knuckles grabbed Tails and yanked him flat against the ground as another hail of bolts and bullets erupted over their heads.

"Keep it _down_!" he hissed. "They're probably on sound sensors."

Tails thrashed about in an attempt to free himself and then, when struggling had no effect, twisted around to bury sharp teeth in the echidna's arm, in the part unprotected by the glove. Growling in pain, Knuckles clenched his jaw, bearing the pain as best he could until finally snapping. Twisting around, at the cost of considerably more agony to his already bleeding arm, he seized Tails by the back of the neck and squeezed, gently at first but then gradually increasing the pressure until Tails yelped and released him. Still holding the fox in that vice-like grip – although he did alter it enough to let Tails draw breath – Knuckles ran for his life, carrying Tails in one hand and the sleeping bags securely tucked under the other. As the distance between them and the bots increased, he thought they stopped firing but wasn't about to turn and check, didn't, in fact, stop or even slow until they'd reached the relative safety of one of several caves inside the cliff face. The echidna looked around. There was a tunnel leading off to the left – where it lead, the Master Emerald alone knew – and like most caves, it was cold and damp, but it would have to do.

"Alright," he said grimly. "Let's have us another little _chat_, shall we?" He hurled the sleeping bags onto the cave floor and then deposited Tails scarcely more gently on top of them. The fox winced, rubbing his sore neck, then got to his feet, scowling as Knuckles moved to block his path.

"Get out the way, Knucklehead!"

"Sit down." Knuckles shoved Tails back, not roughly but firmly enough to send him sprawling onto his backside. "Sit down, kid, and give me a minute to try and talk some sense into you."

Tails eyed him sullenly and also somewhat warily, and the echidna sighed.

"For the love of the emeralds, Tails, I don't mean _physically_. But we need to talk. Or rather, I need to talk and you need to listen. Then if you want to throw your life away, go ahead because I'm sick of having to watch your back every half-step of the way. I swore to _help_ you, not babysit you."

"I'm not a baby!" Tails protested, fur puffed out in righteous indignation.

"Then stop acting like one!" Knuckles shot back, not missing a beat. "Shut up, sit still and _listen_ for once. Point one. Sonic could have tackled those robots, but Sonic could also run faster than the speed of sound, something neither you nor I can manage. Point two. Sonic. Is. _Dead_. You're not gonna change that, no matter how many robots you smash or arms you chew on," the echidna added rather sourly. His arm was still bleeding, albeit sluggishly. "Point three. You think Sonic would have wanted us to take down Robotnik? Fine. I agree. You can't call it revenge since Robotnik honestly had nothing to do with Sonic's death, but you picked the right thing; it would be a fitting tribute. But you are not going to do anything besides get yourself killed all the time you charge into things in that headlong manner."

"Sonic always did."

"Which brings us onto point four, Tails; you are not Sonic, no matter how much you want or may have wanted to be. You think Sonic would want you to get yourself killed? I guess some people might think it shows the ultimate loyalty, but to me it seems to be nothing more than bloody stupid. You can't replace him, kid. No one can."

"Knuckles?" The sudden hope in Tails' voice sent a chill down the echidna's spine, and he cursed himself and his impatience; if Tails had seen Sonic's body, at least it would have given him some form of closure.

"Yeah?" he said warily.

"Knuckles, the Master Emerald; it's real powerful, right? And you're the guardian. If I fly you back to your island, can you use it to change what happened? Bring Sonic back?"

Knuckles took a long, deep breath.

"The Master Emerald is incredibly powerful, Tails, yes," he said heavily, and then paused before adding in quieter tones, "but not that powerful. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"You won't help."

"Not won't; can't. I'll stick with you until we're through—" _one way or another_, Knuckles added grimly to himself— "but I'm not going to sit back and let you hang onto some false hope. So I'll tell you this straight and let you come to terms with it in your own way; you are never going to see Sonic again and if you keep trying to toss your life away on one dumb act after another, then it's almost a good thing he died when he did because the disappointment of that would probably have killed him." He stepped back and away, leaving a clear path between Tails and the exit. "That's all I have to say to you, which is a relief seeing how my voice is giving out. You still want to go out and get yourself killed, fine. At least my conscience is clear." That last was far from true – Knuckles' conscience had been incredibly active ever since that fated rail-grind – but Tails didn't have to know that.

The fox turned away, curling up into a tight ball of misery.

"Knux?" he said in a somewhat muffled tone.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. 'Bout your arm, I mean."

The echidna opened his mouth to say that Tails damn well ought to be, then changed his mind. The kid didn't need any more recriminations.

"It's okay," he said tersely. "Try it again and I'll break your damn neck, though." He sighed. "Lie down and get some sleep, for once."

"I been sleeping the whole time, Knux!"

"You've been lying down, kid, but you've not been sleeping. Don't think I didn't notice your eyes were open most of the time." The echidna glanced towards the cave mouth. "I don't think they'll come in here, but if they do, I'll wake you."

"Yeah?" Tails lifted his head to look at Knuckles. "What 'bout you? You can't've slept much either."

"I don't need to yet. I can draw on the power of the Master Emerald to give me energy. I'll have to pay it back tenfold later on, but I'll deal with that when it happens."

He watched as the fox slowly relaxed, sliding down to lie on his side and starting to snore quietly, and sighed. Two people against Robotnik...that was nowhere near enough. Knuckles had guts but he was no fool. They'd be slaughtered. Slaughtered, and then Robotnik could take the Master Emerald whenever he pleased. Oh, the traps would slow him down a little, but Knuckles couldn't hope for them to stop him entirely.

_Alright._ As Knuckles watched, Tails whimpered softly in his sleep, limbs twitching rapidly. The echidna didn't need telepathy to work out what the poor kid was most likely dreaming about.

_So a frontal assault's out the question. Fine. We're gonna need stealth and finesse to carry this one off._

Knuckles nodded to himself, well satisfied. Stealth and finesse...that required help from certain people and he knew exactly who they were.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a damn clue where to start looking for them.

**Okay, so that's it for now. Sorry it took so long and please review!**


	11. Closure

**Treasurehunter: Thanks; I'm glad you're still enjoying it!**

**Parslie: Read on, and more shall be revealed ;)**

**FriedBrickWall: Er...you really want Knuckles to hug Tails? (_Knuckles: Jeez, don't you think the poor kid's scared and confused enough already?_) As for the toolbox issue...(bows) Your wish is my command, read on ;)**

**Ri2: Thanks for reviewing :D And yeah, it looks like it, on both counts :(...**

_Guardian's Log No. 11462_

_My arm is killing me. For the record, that kid has some pretty sharp teeth in that head of his. But I'd do exactly the same thing again (unfortunately, I'd lay odds that so would Tails)._

_I have a...well, not exactly an idea. More like the beginnings of one. I need information, I need people who know everything that's going on and I need people who'll be prepared to let me in on both of those things. In short, I need the CDA and fast. But I've no idea where to find them; all I have to go on is a cryptic message that Espio gave me, something about moons and ridges._

_In the meantime, I just have to hope that void doesn't come in here. The bots I can handle, but not the void, and Tails is out for the count. I know that's what I wanted, but I think I'm gonna have to wake him up pretty soon. I don't like the idea of being trapped in here; the sooner we move, the better._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_Knuckles almost strangled me and slammed me onto the ground. I'm probably gonna be bruised all over. Thanks a lot, Knucklehead! He ran away from a couple of bots too. And the void, although Sonic doesn't like that either so I guess that one's okay. Wish it had been Knuckles who fell off the rails though. He's taking watch right now. He thinks I'm sleeping but I'm not. I can't. Every time I sleep I keep seeing Sonic fall. He falls and I try to catch him but I always miss. Even though it didn't happen exactly like that it in real life, I still keep dreaming about it._

_--Tails_

The sound of someone knocking a pebble with their foot woke Knuckles out of a doze he'd never meant to take and he started in irritation.

"Where's Sonic?"

The echidna stared at the cave entrance where Amy was standing, and took a deep breath in a vain effort to gain patience. The last thing the kid needed was to see Amy and hear her prattling about Sonic.

"Kid, I am really not in the mood for your usual burblings right now. No offence but either you get out or I get violent." It was half a bluff; Knuckles could no more attack Amy in cold blood than he could fly home by flapping his arms. But he was damn sure he could throw her out if he had to!

"I don't believe in violence," Amy said, with unusual primness. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, kid; it exists."

"I don't believe in it but if you don't tell me where my Sonic is right now I'm gonna reach up and pull your spine out through your nose and garotte you with it!"

The echidna regarded her steadily for a few minutes, then crossed the floor and grabbed Amy's hammer, wresting it away from its owner so fast and so hard that Amy didn't even have a chance to think about protesting.

"You were saying?" he said, hefting the weapon casually in one hand as though it weighed next to nothing - and it did, to him.

"Where's Sonic?"

"He's...not here."

Amy planted both hands on her hips and glared. "I can _see_ he's not here. I want to know where he is; I've been following you for a week now!"

"Liar." It wasn't an accusation, simply a statement of fact. "Sonic was still with us a week ago."

"_Almost_ a week, then! Where is he now? And give me back my hammer!"

"Not yet. I've not seen one like this before; it's unusual. I want a closer look."

"Unusual?" Amy looked at it somewhat suspiciously, as though she thought Knuckles might have switched hammers. "Are you _sure_ that one's mine?"

"I've no idea," retorted Knuckles, who was beginning to appreciate why Sonic had so desperately wanted to avoid confrontations with this girl, "but it's the one you arrived with. As for what happened to Sonic..." The echidna sighed. Sometimes his strict honour and abhorrence of lies was a damn nuisance. "Sonic had a rail-grinding accident and fell. He's dead, kid." _And I hope you have more luck coming to terms with that idea than Tails._

Knuckles' hope lasted about three seconds, the time needed for Amy to launch herself at him, hammer arcing towards his face. The echidna ducked under the blow, grabbed at random and twisted hard, putting all his considerable strength into it. Amy not only went down, she almost ricocheted off two separate walls as well.

"Finished?" Knuckles said tersely.

Amy glowered at him from under angry lashes. "You have a very, _very_ sick sense of humour, Knuckles!"

The echidna stared at her, stunned. "Dammit, Amy, you think I'd joke about something like _that_?"

"I know you're jealous of me and Sonic's relationship!"

Knuckles choked. "_Jealous_? So...do you think I want to get it on with you or Sonic? Actually, don't answer that; I dread to think what you might have the gall to say." When Amy continued to glare at him and heft the hammer threateningly, Knuckles sighed. "Look, everyone says I have my bad points and they're probably right. But face it, I barely have a _normal_ sense of humour, let alone a sick one. Give me some credit."

Amy's lower lip jutted out mutinously. "I don't believe you. You'd say that anyway, just to get rid of me."

"If I wanted to get rid of you, kid, I would do. I'm telling you the truth. Sonic fell over three miles. He's dead."

"He can't die like _that_!"

"He was neither immortal nor invulnerable. Something which I think he had a tendency to forget," Knuckles added under his breath.

"Fine." Amy drew herself up haughtily. "If _you_ won't tell me, I'll ask Tails."

"You damn well won't!" Knuckles darted into Amy's path with surprising agility. "I've only just got him to sleep; I will _not_ let you wake him up just to upset him again!"

"Scared he's gonna show you up for the liar you are?" Amy taunted.

Knuckles had, admittedly, been having a very trying time. If playing counsellor to Sonic and Tails hadn't been enough, he'd been dropkicked into the role of surrogate big brother and had to spend most of the last week trying to help Tails come to terms with his grief, made a promise he was already regretting and agreed to pretty much commit suicide for the sake of Sonic's memory, and now this brat was giving him problems.

So he brought one hand around in a casual swipe, one which sent Amy flying. Somehow she managed to twist in midair and land on her feet, hammer out and ready.

"Huh?" Tails started up from the floor and stared around, saw Knuckles and Amy apparently about to have a free fight and scrambled to his feet, still more asleep than awake. "Whassgoingon?"

"Tails!" Amy pounced. "Tails, Knuckles is being a jerk and he won't tell me where Sonic is. Where is he?"

Tails stared at her for a few seconds, then a haunted look crept into his eyes and he turned away, hunching over into a ball. Knuckles swore viciously.

"Thankyou oh-so-damn much, Amy Rose! You just screwed up big time. I've told you what happened to Sonic and if you don't believe me, I really, honestly don't care anymore."

Amy ignored him, focused instead on the fox. "Tails, what happened to Sonic?"

Tails didn't answer and Knuckles seized Amy by the arm.

"That does it! Get out!"

Amy struggled but even one-handed the echidna was far stronger and she found herself being propelled none too gently towards the cave mouth.

"You can't _do_ this!" she shrieked, in defiance of current evidence. "I _refuse_ to leave until I can join Sonic again!"

"I told you, kid, Sonic's _dead_. You really wanna join him, you just push me that little bit further. Or do the _smart_ thing and get out of this cave. I'm not letting you upset Tails anymore; the poor kid's got enough to deal with without you making things worse." They reached the entrance and Knuckles turned Amy around to stare at her, and had the immense satisfaction of seeing her quail at his anger. "Now, are you going to walk out or be thrown out? You got three seconds to decide."

"Walk," Amy said instantly.

"Fine." Knuckles opened his hand and dropped her, with no small relief; he hadn't liked the idea of physically ejecting Amy, who was guilty of nothing more than annoying immaturity. "Then get going, and if I were you I wouldn't come back here until I've had a chance to calm down." He didn't turn his back on her – more for his own safety than out of politeness – but instead stood, arms folded across his chest, and watched as Amy stalked off into the night in high dudgeon. Only when he was sure she had gone did he turn around and go back into the cave. Tails hadn't moved, much to Knuckles' alarm.

"Are you alright?"

Tails didn't answer, didn't even blink.

"Hey." Wearing what amounted to a pair of mittens or boxing gloves didn't make snapping your fingers very easy, but Knuckles still made a valiant effort. "Hey kid. C'mon, snap out of it. Are you alright?"

Tails blinked once, slowly, then gradually came to focus on him. "Knux?"

The echidna straightened up slowly, a kind of wary concern still on his face. "You alright?" he said for the third time.

Tails shivered. "I keep seeing it, Knuckles."

"Seeing what?" Knuckles asked warily; he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I keep seeing Sonic fall. Even though I didn't really, I do. And I always try to catch him but he always falls too fast and I see him hit the rock."

The echidna shook his head. "That's just your conscience playing tricks on you."

"Yeah...yeah, I know, but it doesn't make it any easier." Tails started to run his namesakes through his hands, a nervous habit that he hadn't indulged in for years. Knuckles reached out and caught hold of his arm, not ungently.

"Kid, you keep that up and you're gonna be bald as a rat. You gotta have a neurotic tic, bite your claws or something."

There was a short pause.

"I didn't mean that literally, Tails," Knuckles said at the end of it.

"Amy's gone, right?"

"Yeah, she's gone." The echidna sighed. "Go back to sleep, kid."

"I can't sleep."

"Try." Knuckles turned his head away, returning to his seemingly endless vigil over the cave entrance.

An hour went past in complete silence before Tails said, "Knuckles?"

The echidna glanced over at him. "I told you to go back to sleep."

"I did, but then I, uh, I woke up again," Tails said lamely. Even to him, it sounded pathetic. "Knuckles?"

"Hm?"

"Sonic...did he..." Tails swallowed hard and took the plunge. "Did he scream? When he went over the rail? 'Cause...you know...I was too far up ahead to hear...so did he?"

"No," Knuckles answered. Although he'd have said the same thing if the hedgehog had, in this case it was true; Sonic hadn't screamed. The echidna had seen the sudden dawning realisation in the hedgehog's eyes, the knowledge of what was happening – and that had somehow been far worse than a scream of terror; Knuckles was sure he'd take that last image of Sonic to his own death – but he'd never screamed.

Tails picked up an apple and bit into it absently, much to Knuckles' relief. He'd been wondering what the hell he'd do if the kid didn't start eating.

"I think...it was how he'd have liked to go. Right, Knuckles? Right?"

"Yeah." No need to lie that time, either; Sonic had been doing what he did best and, although it was a somewhat morbid thought, had pretty much died laughing. "In a way, it's better for him to have died as he lived; fast. I don't think he'd've been happy dying of old age."

"I guess." Tails padded across the floor and sat down next to the echidna, then looked up at him. "But don't _you_ go anywhere." It was meant to sound flippant or even casual, and instead came out purely appealing. Knuckles snorted.

"No chance of that, kid. I swore on the Master Emerald, didn't I?"

Tails hunched over into a ball, hugging both knees into his chest. It was a position he'd been adopting more and more since Sonic's death, and Knuckles wondered vaguely if he ought to worry about it. Then again, perhaps the kid was simply cold; the emeralds knew that Knuckles was!

As if in answer to his unspoken wish, a sudden warmth jerked the echidna's gaze downwards to where Tails had – finally – fallen asleep and was slumped against his leg. Startled, Knuckles started to pull away, then stopped. If it was easier for the kid to sleep there for some reason, then let him.

He regretted his selflessness a moment later, when Tails reached out in his sleep and wrapped both arms around Knuckles' ankle in a death grip, snuggling up to rest his head on the echidna's boot. The cynical part of Knuckles – that part of him which seemed to exist just below the surface – wondered if this was the kid's way of making sure he didn't do the dirty on him.

The thought occurred to Knuckles for the first time that he was all Tails had, that if he died the kid would be completely alone. It was a sobering realisation, and a little frightening.

_I'll have to take him back with me._

The idea wasn't a new one; he'd known for some time that it would come down to that, ever since Tails had commented about the echidna getting a little brother after all. Knuckles couldn't abandon Tails, not now. The kid wasn't even into double digits yet; he'd been with Sonic for most of his life and didn't know the first thing about surviving on his own. Granted Sonic had only been a few years older when he'd first tackled Robotnik – and won – but Sonic had also been on his own right up until meeting Tails.

Knuckles shifted his weight very slightly. Tails' grip had tightened and he was cutting off the echidna's circulation. He could already feel the numbness setting in.

The echidna looked around. He could still see occasional yellow flashes against the sky as the distant bots fired on their targets, creating a strange kind of ethereal beauty and turning to red when they crossed the void.

_The bots and the void...looks like Sonic was right. Robotnik is in on this._

Admittedly there wasn't much of the night left, but it was still one the echidna never forgot. Standing in sub-zero temperatures (so different to his tropical island) and not even able to walk about to keep himself warm, or restore the feeling in his foot, and he was incredibly relieved when Tails stirred some hours later and finally opened his eyes.

"My head hurts," he complained, somewhat groggily.

"I'm not surprised," Knuckles told him. "Lying on metal-studded boots does that."

"Huh?" Tails squinted up, then down at Knuckles' booted feet and realised. Frowning slightly, he looked back into the echidna's face. "You mean I've been down here all this time?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Knuckles snorted. "Are you kidding? It's been all I can do to get you to sleep. I wasn't gonna risk waking you up just to tell you to go to sleep again somewhere else."

Tails pushed himself to his feet, stretching. "Are we getting outta here?"

"Yeah." Knuckles looked out the cave. He wasn't sure if the void was getting closer or if it was just imagination, but he didn't like the idea of going out the way they'd come. "Yeah, but not that way."

"How then? Through there?" Tails pointed to the side tunnel and Knuckles shook his head.

"No, that only leads into a smaller cave. We'll go out the back way."

The fox frowned. "But there isn't a back way."

"Soon remedied." Knuckles stood in front of the back wall, hands curled into fists and started punching, steadily carving a tunnel through solid rock.

Several hours later, the tunnel was almost ten miles long and Knuckles decided to call it a day; the light was rapidly fading and he was finding it harder and harder to keep tunnelling in a straight line. Dusting off his spikes, he turned and made his way back to the main chamber where he found Tails holding a piece of detritus in one hand and banging it with another rock, then tossing the rock onto an ever-growing pile to his left and taking another rock from a smaller pile on the right. Knuckles watched him for a few minutes to see if he could work out what the kid was doing, but the meaning continued to elude him.

"What are you doing?" he said at last, when the curiosity became too great to bear.

"Nothing!" Tails dropped the rock as though he'd been burned. "Well, I...thought I might...uh...I wanted to make something. Build something that could help you smash through the rock." He looked away morosely. "I thought maybe some of these different rocks could work." He squirmed awkwardly. "Dumb, huh? I just forgot I didn't have any tools."

"That right?" Knuckles glanced at his bag and thought _what the hell_. He wasn't sure if this was a good move, but if it took the kid's mind off Sonic, it was for the best. Tails' sudden interest in building again could only be good, right? "Maybe I can help you out."

"Yeah?" Tails shot the echidna a look that hovered between curious and wary. "How?"

"With this." Knuckles pulled out a canvas bag and tossed it over to the fox. "Happy birthday. Or solstice, or equinox, or whatever."

Tails caught it and bent double – he'd been unprepared for the weight – and opened it. His jaw dropped as he saw the tools inside and he stared at the echidna.

"For me?"

"Well, they're not for me," Knuckles said rather tartly. "Tools aren't my thing, kid. I know a hammer from a hacksaw. After that, everything's a spronket as far as I'm concerned."

"But...how...where'd you get it?"

Knuckles glanced away. That was the one question he'd been hoping Tails wouldn't ask. "I didn't, Sonic did. He saw it back in the Casino Zones on the roulette wheel and won it for you. Then what with one thing and another, he never got around to giving it to you. I grabbed it just before we left."

Tails continued exploring the box, mumbling happily to himself. Knuckles caught words like "three-quarter inch", "ratchet wrench" and "drill bit", none of which meant a great deal to him apart from one thing; the kid was looking happy and like himself for the first time since the rail accident. It wouldn't last, he was damn sure of that. Next would come the guilt, that feeling of how-can-I-feel-happy-when-Sonic's-dead-and-I-should-be-grieving-for-him, but at the moment it was good to see Tails relaxing.

"Are we going?" Tails asked suddenly.

"Soon. As soon as I've tunnelled out."

"How long's that gonna take?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I dunno. I've done about ten miles, and I don't think it can be much further. Tomorrow, possibly, or more likely the day after. Try and sleep; you'll need all the energy you can get."

Tails shivered. "That void thing's still out there, Knuckles. It's been growing. It's like it's feeding off the air, not just absorbing it. You know, like food? It takes it in and the more it takes in, the bigger it gets." He shivered again. "It was only big enough to kill a palm tree when me'n'Sonic first saw it. Now look at it."

Knuckles pulled himself onto a large boulder, one that was big enough to serve as a lookout point. He had no desire to see the void again; something about it seemed to suck all the reason from his mind. But if it hadn't been much larger than a palm tree when it started...a chill ran down his spine. Would it keep going until it engulfed all of Mobius? And if he and Tails went back to Angel Island, would the Master Emerald be strong enough to protect them? Knuckles rather thought it would; it was incredibly good at taking care of itself and its Guardians, after all, but it was one thing to think something was true and another completely to literally bet your life on it.

Tails abruptly looked up from his new toolbox, frowning. "Knux?"

"Yeah?"

"You know what day it is today?"

Knuckles frowned, trying to think. "I thought your birthday was in the spring."

"Not that." Tails picked up the tools and padded over to hoist himself onto the rock next to Knuckles and leaned against him, ignoring the sudden stiffness in the echidna's body. Knuckles opened his mouth to protest – enough was enough! – then shut it again, sensing that the kid was still hurting and that for some reason doing this helped. The fox looked up at him. "Knux?"

"Yeah?" Knuckles said patiently.

"It's been a week. Since...you know."

"Since Sonic?" The echidna had given up trying to get the kid to say the word death.

"Yeah. Since Sonic." Tails yawned twice. "Doesn't seem real, huh?"

It seemed pretty damn real to Knuckles, who had lost people before, but this wasn't the time or place to get into a debate. "No," he said aloud, "it doesn't."

"Still miss him," Tails mumbled, half asleep. "Real bad. But it's still weird to think he's been dead for a whole week."

"Yeah," Knuckles said quietly. "That's how it goes, kid. One day at a time. Then you realise that a full week's slipped past, and then that becomes two weeks, and a month, then six months, then a year. Time goes on." Glancing down, he saw that Tails was already asleep and smiled slightly. Good.

"It gets better," he said in a low voice. Reaching out in a gesture he'd never have even contemplated doing if Tails had been awake, he smoothed the fur on the back of the kid's head and looked up, staring into space, staring at that terrible day ten years ago when he'd woken up next to his mother's body.

Tails stirred in his sleep, instinctively snuggling closer to the warmth of the echidna's body, and Knuckles glanced back down at him.

"It does get better," he repeated softly. "You'll never forget Sonic, kid, but the memories won't hurt as much."

**Okay, so admittedly this one was lacking a little in excitement and suspense, but it did have to be written ;) And future chapters will make up for it :P Please review!**


	12. The Second Ridge

**Treasurehunter: Heh heh (grins) Thanks; I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying it :D**

**FriedBrickWall: Never stop you reviewing...I'm very happy to hear it! And as for the hug...I still say it would probably blow poor Tails' mind if Knuckles gave him a proper hug. Tails is your favourite character, you say? Hmm...I never would have guessed ;) As to the making things...well, read on ;)**

**Ri2: Yep, I think Tails is indeed starting to bond with Knux. It's kind of a slow process; Knuckles isn't the easiest person to get close to, but it's happening.**

**Chaos Control 7: Thanks for reviewing :D I'm glad you liked the last chapter; to be honest I wasn't sure how it was going to go down ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11463_

_This is very weird. Not often a word I use, but there's nothing else to describe it. In all my experiences – and I've had plenty – serving as a fox kid's mattress/pillow/comfort blanket/giant plush toy is something very new to me, and I'm not sure how to react. Again, not something I say very often._

_I gave Tails the toolkit though. I'm pretty sure I did the right thing; the kid was animated for the first time since Sonic's death. Jeez, has it really been a week? Tails was right; it doesn't seem real._

_The kid's asleep right now. Correction; he's asleep with both arms wrapped around my waist and his head on my ribs, and that seriously unnerves me because like I said, I have no idea how to react to it. I'm not sure which disturbs me more; having him snuggled up against me like this or having him clinging onto my leg like grim death as he did earlier. At least this way I get to keep the feeling in my extremities. Right now I'm leaning back on my hands (it beats sticking my arms straight out to the side) and—oh crud! Tails just wriggled in his sleep and in doing so somehow managed to clamber fully into my lap. Now his legs are around my waist, his arms around my damn neck and his head's snuggled into my shoulder! I'm starting to have my doubts as to how asleep he really is, but I don't want to risk waking him. Guess I'll just have to put up with it for now._

_Still feels damn weird though._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_I guess Knuckles is nice really, no matter how much he tries to hide it. He's usually too proud to display anything other than superiority and contempt, but I felt him stroke my fur like Sonic used to whenever I was ill or upset. I won't mention it to Knuckles though; I don't want to embarrass him. He probably thought I was asleep. Well, I kind of was, or at least half asleep. Also, he didn't seem to mind when I used his boot and his ribs as a pillow. Actually, I think he did mind a little – he got all stiff and junk – but he never said. I won't mention that to him either._

_--Tails_

Knuckles was not comfortable.

It had nothing to do with the rock he was sitting on – after growing up in a cave, this felt like home from home – or the thought of the void outside. It did have something to do with the chill in the air – the caves back on Angel Island were at least _warm! –_ but his discomfort was mostly down to the fact that Tails now had the echidna in a tight grip with all prehensile limbs, tails included. Knuckles hadn't reacted or done anything to encourage this (at least, he didn't think he had) but something had obviously sparked in the kid's mind and he'd moved in his sleep, climbing into Knuckles' lap and snuggling his head into the echidna's neck. Briefly Knuckles wondered if Tails had ever clung to Sonic like this. Probably, although Sonic's spikes would have made it tougher.

He wished Sonic was there, and not entirely because it meant the kid would have wrapped his arms around the hedgehog's neck instead, if he wrapped them around anyone's. Sonic had been someone who could actually _relax_ in a situation like this.

Knuckles shifted his weight edgily. The last time he'd been in a situation like this, he'd been four years old and the one doing the clinging. He could vaguely remember looking out at the world through his mother's spines and pretending he was in a cage. That had been just after his father had died; Knuckles' mother had told him that his father had had to go on a long journey and wouldn't be coming back, leaving Knuckles the puggle with the mother of all guilt trips. He'd been exploring the caves where they lived a couple of days later and found his father's body where it had fallen onto a cluster of stalagmites. The carrion eaters had got there first though; whole segments of flesh had been chewed away and both his father's eyes had been reduced to nothing more than hideous red sockets. His mouth had been open, giving the impression that he'd died screaming in agony.

The echidna shivered. He'd done his fair share of screaming at that point as well, screaming and running. It had taken his mother over an hour to calm him down and even now, twelve years on, he still had the occasional nightmare about it.

Something pricked Knuckles' eyes; tears. The echidna blinked hard, furious at displaying such a weakness and growled in frustration.

"Huh?" Tails opened groggy eyes, looking around. "Sonic?"

"Close," Knuckles muttered, "but no cigar."

Tails looked up at him, remembering. "Oh...Knux. Why'd you growl?"

"Cramp in my leg," the echidna lied. "Get off me, kid; I need to stretch it out."

Tails wriggled off Knuckles' lap obligingly and watched as the echidna slid off the rock and strode over to the entrance, limping a little more heavily than was strictly necessary.

"Is the void-thing still there?" he said between yawns.

"Yeah. And I think it's still growing. We gotta keep tunnelling."

"Oh right." Tails yawned again. "What can I do?"

"Whatever you want," Knuckles answered crisply. "Get some more rest, or have breakfast. I think most of the tunnelling's gonna be my problem; you got a lot of talents, kid, but even you can't plough through solid rock."

Tails frowned at the solid rock in question, then opened his toolbox and started sorting through the objects again. Knuckles left him to it; so long as the kid was occupied and not moping, he could safely be ignored while Knuckles himself got on with the tunnel.

He'd been going at it for several hours when there was the sound of squeaking and a strange, spindly contraption on wheels trundled up next to him. Tails waved at him from the driver's seat. "Hi Knuckles!"

The echidna turned and his jaw dropped. "What the hell is _that_ thing?"

"Well, you said I can't plough through solid rock and you were right, but I can build a machine to do it for me. I call it the Mole. Like it?"

"Hell yeah!" Knuckles said, and meant it. At the front of the Mole was a drill bit so large that the machine spent most of its time looking like it was going to fall forward. "How's it powered?"

"I wired up an internal combustion engine to the drill," Tails said as though it was nothing. "Pull the ignition chain and the drill spins and goes through the rock."

Knuckles stared at him. "Where the _hell_ did you manage to find an internal combustion engine in the damn _mountains_?"

Tails shrugged. "Smashed a bot for it."

"Oh right." Knuckles started for the passage he'd created, ready to resume tunnelling, then turned to stare. "You went outside?"

"Yeah." Tails braced his feet against the wall and yanked on the ignition chain. Reaching out, Knuckles caught hold of the kid's hand and removed it from the handle.

"To the void?"

"I didn't go _in_ the void, Knux. I just stood up, waited for the bots to chase me and smashed the first one that caught up."

The echidna shook his head. "You shouldn't've gone out there on your own, Tails."

"Huh?" Tails fixed him with a look that was half pained, half perplexed. "How come?"

_Because I don't want you to get hurt_, the echidna started to say and then clamped down on that, hard.

"Because it's selfish," he said eventually. "You're not the only one who likes smashing bots."

"Oh. Okay." Tails jerked the chain again and this time was rewarded with the sound of the engine belching into life. He sat there for a few minutes, then shut it off and came to stand in front of Knuckles, tracing embarrassed patterns on the floor with his toe.

"Something wrong?"

"Uh. Sorta. Can you give me a push? I, uh, I just realised I forgot to add an accelerator to the Mole."

Knuckles suppressed a sudden urge to grin. "Sure. Take a seat."

"Alright!" Tails leapt into the driver's seat again and flexed his fingers readily. "C'mon, let's go!"

Shaking his head wryly, Knuckles reached out with one hand and took hold of the Mole. "Okay, fine. You ready?"

"You bet!"

"Okay." Knuckles shoved hard and the machine chuntered forward. There was a grinding sound that set the echidna's teeth on edge as metal screeched against rock.

"Uh, Tails?" Knuckles hollered over the noise of the Mole. "I'm gonna go get some shuteye. You keep drilling, okay?"

He didn't hear if the fox answered, but one hand came out in a thumbs-up gesture. Relieved, Knuckles turned and lay down, hands over his ears. The Mole might well be efficient, but it was too damn _noisy_ for his liking!

Left alone, Tails continued to trundle along the tunnel, heading for the end of it. The Mole was moving nicely; Knuckles' push had sent it careering along the rocky ground, causing Tails to wish he'd thought to install a steering wheel.

He wished it a lot more a few minutes later, when the Mole's front wheel hit a ledge and spun over, sending him sprawling. He cracked his skull against the rock wall and dropped into blackness.

When he opened his eyes, it was to a splitting headache and the sight of a very familiar boot. An upside-down Knuckles stood over him, arms folded, foot tapping, but with a definite glint of humour in his eyes. "Don't tell me. You forgot to add brakes as well."

Tails rubbed the back of his head and managed a sheepish grin, then rolled over and got to his feet.

"Uh. Yeah. I, uh, I had some stuff on my mind and I must've forgotten. Sorry."

"Don't apologise to me, kid; you're the one who almost had his brains leak out. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Tails took a step, swayed and leaned against the wall. "Head hurts, but I'm okay."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One and it's a thumb." Tails started to walk but his ankle twisted under him and Knuckles barely managed to catch the fox before he hit the ground.

"You hurt your leg?"

"My ankle. 'Sokay though; I can walk."

"The hell you can." When Tails continued to glare at him obstinately, Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. But you lean on me; I don't want that ankle getting any worse."

"I said I'm okay!" Tails started to shove the echidna away, but a sharp pain shot through his leg and he collapsed.

"Yeah, kid. You sure look okay to me." Knuckles shook his head. "C'mon." He reached down and hauled Tails upright, slinging the fox's arm around his shoulders. "And if you bite me again, I'll twist your other ankle," he added pointedly.

Tails started to protest, but Knuckles stepped forward and the fox's attention was suddenly diverted to the more pressing problem of how to stay upright.

By the time they were back in the main chamber, Tails' body was quivering with exertion and he was very glad to drop onto the floor and sleep. Knuckles turned to go, intending to excavate some more of the tunnel, but Tails stirred and caught hold of the echidna's leg. Knuckles groaned aloud.

"Oh hell, not _again_."

This time he waited for half an hour before pulling out of Tails' hold and walking away. Jerked out of sleep by the action – although in fairness Knuckles had done it as gingerly as he could – Tails raised his head and looked around.

"Huh? Wha..."

Catching sight of Knuckles' figure walking silently into the tunnel, he realised what had happened and lay back down again. Oh well. It had been nice while it lasted.

* * *

Knuckles had been tunnelling for so long that he was more asleep than awake. The motions had long since become mechanical, constant punching over and over again. Progress had slowed, but was still occurring.

There was a faint _whoosh_ from behind him and he frowned quizzically, then a sudden instinct warned him and he turned to the left and tripled the pace, digging and excavating furiously until there was a niche there big enough for him to hurriedly cram himself into.

Something fast and incredibly hot roared past him, hit the wall and exploded, showering red hot fragments of rock and debris all around. There was the sound of somewhat irregular footsteps and Tails arrived, strongly favouring the bad ankle.

"Did it work?" he said eagerly.

Knuckles pushed himself out of his hastily constructed sanctuary and spat soot out of his mouth, then glared at Tails. "Just because I pissed you off last night is no reason to sic a torpedo on me!"

"I wasn't aiming for you. I built a rocket to try and blast some of the rock away." Tails examined the hole that the rocket had created, all four feet of it and his face fell. "Kinda disappointing. Maybe if I built another one with more explosives—"

"_No,_" Knuckles said sternly. He didn't think he'd ever forget the sensation of incandescent heat blasting two inches away from his face as the rocket whizzed past to smash into the wall. "Look, Tails, I admire your enthusiasm, I really do, but if you got to build high-powered gizmos then at least try and build ones that won't get us both killed!"

The fox looked so downcast that Knuckles was moved to give him a nudge on the shoulder. "C'mon, kid, I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just asking you to try and leave us alive and unharmed at the end of it." He racked his brains for something else to say. "That Mole was a good idea; why don't you try and build it again, only this time add pedals?"

Tails shook his head morosely. "Can't. The drill was smashed and I haven't seen another bot with the right size." He perked up. "But I guess I could make something like a mechanical shovel."

"Yeah. Great." There probably wasn't much damage the kid could do with a mechanical shovel, after all; at least, not to Knuckles. "Good idea. Yeah, you do that."

"Knux?"

"Yeah?"

Tails looked down at his sneakers. "You think Sonic'd mind?"

"Mind what?" _As if I didn't know._

"Well...I feel kinda like...like..."

"Let me guess; you feel like you don't have any right to have fun now Sonic's not here?"

Tails nodded mutely, and Knuckles sighed.

"Put it this way, kid, I don't think he won you that toolbox just so you could look at it. He'd've liked to know you were using it."

Tails cheered up, but only slightly. "I guess..."

Despite Knuckles' determination and Tails' enthusiasm, it took a full three weeks before they managed to tunnel out into the open air and another month before they managed to find their way back to the path. A bot ambush – too many and too powerful to fight – had sent them into a run. Unlike the ones they'd seen earlier, these bots hadn't given up as soon as they were a certain distance away but continued pursuing them, never close enough to attack but not far enough away to let them rest either. After two days and nights of this, Tails was almost asleep on his feet. Knuckles, who was still drawing from the Master Emerald, was fine for the moment but knew full well that he was pushing his luck. The Master Emerald would demand repayment from him, and soon.

"Knux?" Tails hauled himself onto a rocky ledge and dropped onto his side, chest heaving. "Knux, please. I gotta stop."

The echidna knelt down next to him, then threw himself flat as bullets whined over their heads. "Two minutes, no more."

"Nothin' here anyway," Tails mumbled through his fur. "No 'scape. No trees. No food. Jus' rocks an' those three ridges over there."

"What did you say?" Knuckles said sharply. Tails glanced at him.

"I just said there were those three ridges over there."

"Hm." The echidna rose to his feet, shading his eyes against the setting sun with one hand.

_When moons and sun both form a bridge_

_You'll find us in the second ridge._

"What?" Tails said.

"Just...something I heard once, that's all." Knuckles hadn't realised he'd spoken the couplet aloud. Sun and moon forming a bridge; anyone knew that meant the last part of the lunar cycle, when the two moons were for an hour or so aligned in a straight line with the setting sun. Knuckles had understood that part of the rhyme, but not the second. Not until now. Last night had been Bridge Night, and if he got it right...

Knuckles glanced over his shoulder. So far, there was no sign of pursuit, but he was pretty sure that would change before too long.

Crouching down to avoid being silhouetted against the setting sun, Knuckles crept over to where Tails was already dozing and nudged him hard.

"Wha...?"

"Come on," Knuckles said quietly. "Get on your feet. We're moving."

Tails fixed a bleary-eyed look on him. "Where we going?"

"We're going to see a few old friends of mine, that's all. Once we're there, you can sleep to your heart's content."

"You have friends?"

"You don't have to sound _quite_ so surprised," Knuckles said bitingly. Tails yawned.

"'S just I thought all you did was stay on the island. Didn't think you got to meet people."

"These ones showed up after you left. Robotnik tried to put the snatch on the emerald again by turning 'em into robots. I freed one of them and got rid of Robotnik with the help of that guy and his buddies."

"Who are they?"

"They call themselves the Chaotix Detective Agency; CDA for short. They know a lot about things; if anyone can tell us where to find Robotnik's fort, they can." Knuckles stepped forward and shook the already dozing Tails, not roughly but insistently. "C'mon. We have to make it to those ridges before dark."

"Wha?" Tails yawned again, curling up into a ball for warmth. "Knux, I'm so tired. Can't we jus' res' f'r few mo' minutes..."

"Not here. I thought it was the best of a bad lot but that was before I saw those ridges. We're gonna have to move and move fast; those caves are the one place the bots won't get to us. I'll carry you if I have to, but we are going there and we are going there _now_."

Tails blinked at him owlishly, then raised both arms over his head. Knuckles grimaced inwardly.

_Guess that'll teach me, huh?_

"Alright," he said wearily. "C'mere." Crossing over to the fox, he bent down and scooped him up into his arms, cringing inwardly as Tails half turned to snuggle against him, still semi-curled. This was starting to become a habit, and for a minute Knuckles seriously considered dumping Tails in the dirt.

Then he sighed, shifted his arms to get a more secure grip and jogged on, trying not to jounce the fox too much. He barely felt Tails' weight; the kid was little more than a feather in his arms and only a serious problem when the echidna had to climb over rocks and couldn't use his hands. The second ridge drew closer every minute, and as long as he could keep moving reasonably fast, the bots didn't fire on him. In fact, they seemed to be falling back, but Knuckles didn't plan on testing that and didn't even slow or stop until he reached the cave at the base of the ridge.

_Great,_ Knuckles thought grimly._ More damn tunnels._

"Hey!" he shouted. Tails didn't stir, even when a three-foot shuriken whizzed past, missing him and Knuckles by bare inches and embedded itself in the wall. Knuckles glowered into the darkness. "Espio, I _know_ that's you! It's me; Knuckles, I've had a couple of incredibly crappy months so if you don't show yourself this instant I'll throw whitewash at you, see if you can camouflage _that_!" He knew Espio could – the chameleon was a master at what he did – but at least the threat made him feel better.

Espio shaded into view, still holding a shuriken in one hand.

"Knux, hi." Espio's tone and expression never changed, but Knuckles knew the chameleon too well to be fooled; Espio was pleased to see him. "Long time no see." Espio was known for being opinionated and somewhat self-obsessed, suspicious of everything he didn't know well and with a strong military bearing in his manner, the end result being that he and Knuckles understood and got along with each other extremely well. For some reason, people always assumed Espio was the brains and therefore the leader of Chaotix, instead of Vector. There had been quite a few arguments about that, now Knuckles thought about it.

"Yeah. You got somewhere I can dump this guy?" Knuckles said, nodding towards Tails; the fox was starting to get heavy. Espio glanced down.

"Alive or dead?"

"Alive and whole. And I want him kept like that," Knuckles added sharply. Espio merely snorted.

"What kinda guys you think we are? Who is he?"

"Tails. He was Sonic's sidekick, best buddy, adopted little brother." Knuckles shrugged. "Pick your connection."

Interest sparked briefly in Espio's eyes, then faded again. It was almost unnoticeable unless you were looking hard.

"Sonic ditch him?"

"No, he..." Knuckles glanced down at Tails, then up at Espio. "Look, we'll talk about that later, alright? Where can I put the kid?"

There was a sudden movement and a small bee exploded into the room waving a spatula and wearing a chef's hat.

"Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"

Knuckles bent down to lower Tails gently to the floor, then straightened up and threw up a hand in time to field the bee out of the air. Holding it by its wings, he lowered it down to his eye-level and took the spatula in his other hand.

"What were you planning to do, Charmy; flip me to death?"

"Knux!" Pulling free, Charmy zipped around the echidna's head so fast that Knuckles sheered back, startled. "Where've you _been_? Whatcha _doing_ here? Who's the fuzzball?"

Knuckles took a deep breath. "Angel Island, looking for answers, and Sonic's sidekick Tails."

"Sonic?_ Cool_!" Charmy twirled around several times before hovering just in front of the echidna, darting from side to side to peer over both his shoulders in turn. "Is he coming? Where is he? When's he gonna get here?"

The echidna felt a queer sensation, as though someone was drawing all the air out of him. Charmy's hyperactivity had almost pulled him out of his funk until the bee mentioned Sonic's name.

"He's not," he said. "I need a bed for the night. Or rather, Tails does; poor kid's been going flat out for almost a full week now."

Espio and Charmy exchanged looks, then Espio jerked a thumb towards a small tunnel. "Through there. He can sleep as long as he needs. Charmy?"

"Aw, _Espie_! Why d'you _always_ send me away when it's getting interesting?"

"Because I have a set of shuriken that can impale you to the rock, that's why. Take him and make him as comfortable as you can." Once Charmy had left, dragging Tails behind him and complaining under his breath the whole time, Espio nodded towards the desk. "Take a seat."

Knuckles did so, settling himself on the edge of a chair.

"So what about your friend?" Espio added. The echidna shook his head.

"Let the kid sleep; he's no danger to you." Knuckles took hold of a fruit and bit into it with every sign of enjoyment. "You and me, we need to talk. Something's happened."

Espio raised cool eye-ridges. He and Knuckles had been allies since the incident on Angel Island, when Knuckles had freed him from one of Robotnik's traps. The echidna was one of the very few people that Espio genuinely respected and trusted, and he knew the feeling was mutual on Knuckles' part.

"It must've been bad, to drag you all the way down here from your precious island."

Knuckles glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Tails was sound asleep before leaning in close and lowering his voice anyway.

"Sonic's dead."

Nothing ever caused external surprise in Espio. Even this news didn't cause him to do much more than blink once, slowly, before shifting his weight back. Sonic had never done business with Chaotix, but he'd never been named as a target or tried to rip them off either.

"How?"

"We were grinding along the railtrack by Bullet Station. Sonic missed one of the rails and fell. It was an accident, that's all; he was showing off. Bottom line, the kid blames Robotnik and he's hellbent on revenge." Knuckles shook his head. Sonic, dead. It hardly seemed real. Even now, it hardly seemed real.

Espio's eyes, which had flared up at the mention of Robotnik's name, settled back to their normal hooded expression. "The kid's blaming Robotnik for a stupid, pointless accident?"

"I said he was resourceful. I never said he was rational. Grief takes people different ways, and I guess blaming Robotnik is easier than blaming himself."

"Hm," Espio said noncommittally. "So what do you want from us?"

"First, a place to spend the night. Since mountain caves aren't owned by anyone – at least, not by you – that shouldn't be a problem, and we'll be gone in the morning. Second, I want to know if anyone's been asking for us recently; good, bad or indifferent, or if anyone's been hanging around here."

Espio shook his head, smiling slightly. "Even for you, Knuckles, that kinda thing's gonna cost. Vector would have my tail if he knew I'd been giving out freebies."

Without taking his eyes off the chameleon, Knuckles pulled out a small, tightly-woven bag and handed it over. Espio took it and opened it, examining the contents minutely.

"Ooh!" Charmy zipped over Knuckles' head to peer at the jewels inside, eyes so huge they seemed to fill his whole head.

"I'll keep the bag," Knuckles added, holding out his hand for it. Espio shrugged and handed it over, taking care to tip the jewels out beforehand and even going so far as to run one hand around inside to make sure no jewels had stuck to it.

"Okay. There're usually people who ask us to find others; that's pretty much what we do for a living. Nobody's been hanging around here for the last couple of days, but there were a few bots lurking not too far from here. Vector sorted them, though; they won't be troubling you." Seeing Knuckles' sceptical look, Espio added, "He had to; bots machine-gunning anyone who comes this way really puts a dent in business. And yeah, there have been one or two people asking for you."

"One _or_ two?"

Espio shrugged. "Alright then, seven. Like I say, we get a lot of that. I remembered this though, because you said you never left the island, so I wasn't sure why anyone would be expecting to find you here on the surface. They were Robotnik's henchmen mostly, or bots." He shook his head. "You're playing in the big boys' league now, Knuckles. I hope you know what you've got yourself into. Any other questions?"

Knuckles hesitated. He had several, but a very limited amount of finance, and picking the most important questions wasn't always easy. Eventually he said, "What's Robotnik doing to the sky? That patch of...of...well, of nothing?"

Espio shook his head. "I'll answer that one for free, Knuckles; we don't know. Nobody does. Whatever it is, though, it seems to be spreading. The Master Emerald'll probably protect itself, though, and indirectly you. You got any sense, you'll stay on that island of yours and never leave."

"Like you guys did?" Knuckles said pleasantly.

"We go where there's business," Espio answered, not taking offence. "Which reminds me, if you're planning an offensive, there's someone here who may be able to help you."

The fruit in Knuckles' hand hesitated on its way to his mouth, then dropped back to the plate. "Yeah? Who?"

Espio turned his head. "Omega!"

There was a clanking, a series of whirrs and a robot lumbered forward into the room. Not just any robot either; this one seemed to have weapons on top of weapons. It was the same one that had attacked Knuckles and the other two in the Casino Zones.

Knuckles tensed.

"Don't tell me you're back for more. Where's bat-girl?"

"Rouge dumped him to go treasure-hunting," Espio answered.

"Worthless consumer model!"

"Right, right, Omega." Seeing Knuckles' startled look, Espio added, "Something of a killing insult among robots. Rouge dumped him and he wound up here. Vector took him on; Omega's the only one besides me who can go into Robotnik's lair without being detected."

"Robotnik's lair?" Knuckles echoed, picking up the pella fruit again and turning it over and over in his hands as though he wasn't remotely interested in the conversation. "That nearby, is it?"

"Fairly near. You're talking a two hour run."

"Really," the echidna said idly. "You, uh, you wouldn't happen to have a map, would you?"

Espio looked at him through wary eyes. "What are you thinking, Knuckles?"

"Tails wants revenge."

"Then let him have it," Espio said steadily. "Why should you get involved?"

Knuckles shrugged. For want of a better word, he felt responsible for the fox. Tails hadn't asked for any of this to happen, and the echidna knew the kid was headstrong enough to try and blast into Robotnik's lair single-handedly.

"Do you have the map or not? I'll pay, if that's what's bugging you."

"What about Tails?"

"What about him?" Knuckles shook his head. "Look, I go and check the place out while he's asleep, come back and then when he wakes up we can talk about plans. I don't plan to be all that long. If he wakes up before I get back, just tell him where I've gone."

Espio considered the idea for all of three seconds before nodding once, curtly. "Alright. Here." He passed a folded sheet of paper over to the echidna. "Omega helped us compile it. It's sound. If you die in there, I'll kill you."

Knuckles snorted. "I don't plan on dying anywhere except my own Angel Island, and that in execution of my duty."

"Ask Sonic if he _planned _on dying, Knuckles."

The echidna looked away and didn't answer that. Eventually he got rather jerkily to his feet, said, "Take care of the kid while I'm gone, Espio," and strode out.

**So that's it for another chapter...please leave a review!**


	13. Robotnik's Fortress

**Pyro Hedgehog4ever: Thanks; I do my best to keep everyone as much in character as possible ;)**

**Treasurehunter: (grins) I'm glad I had Knuckles' translation for that...and yep, it's continued :P**

**Saffra: Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you like it :D**

**FriedBrickWall: The Chaotix...you'll have to wait and see; you know I never give any of the story away ;) I'll tell you this much though; they won't have a very large part. This story's starting to draw to a close (sniffles) in preparation for the next ones :P (_Knuckles: Is it my fault that I've never been snuggled by a two-tailed fox kid before?_) Ignore him. He's still in shock; that's all I've been getting from him all day. (_Knuckles: Well, if a certain person had thought to install seatbelts on the back shelf of their car—)_ Ignore that as well. He's also been in a foul mood ever since I pulled out of my apartment and he rolled off the shelf onto the back seat. Three times.**

_Guardian's Log no. 11464_

_Why the hell did I do that? The kid could have walked perfectly well on his own; why did I just pick him up and carry him like that?_

_He didn't weigh a lot. Granted that's not worth much from someone like me – not when I've uprooted trees singlehandedly without feeling it – but he's even lighter than he should be. I guess that's not too surprising though; his appetite's still a little erratic, even now. Bereavement sure makes people react in strange ways, even two months down the line._

_Two months. That really is a sobering thought. I don't like to think of how much time we wasted in the mountains either; tunnelling through what amounted to an entire mountain range wasn't one of my best ideas, I have to admit. And Tails' inventions weren't a lot of help. If bereavement makes him construct lethal machinery – lethal to me, that is – maybe I should've waited a few months before giving him that toolbox._

_Just thought of something; maybe I should have warned the Chaotix as well, told them to watch out for ballistic constructions. I admit I felt guilty about leaving Tails with them, but this is the best chance I'm going to get to spy out Robotnik's fortress, and I don't want it jeopardised by the kid and his thoughts of revenge._

_Uncomfortable thought: what if Tails tries to follow me? That only just occurred to me. Hm. Maybe I should've been a little more explicit in that message I left for him. I'm sure he can handle it though; he's not stupid._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_I helped Knuckles tunnel out of that cave! Well...I sort of did. The Mole crashed, Knux put a ban on my building and launching any more rockets down a tunnel if he's in it and...well, the Hose Machine didn't work out quite as I'd planned either. I don't know what Knuckles was complaining about though; that jet of battery acid missed him, didn't it? _

_Anyway, we got out and I got him to carry me to...wherever we are. That was a shock; I was half asleep and when he suggested carrying me I just automatically held up my arms like I would've done with Sonic. I never expected Knuckles of all people to actually do it._

_Where am I? Well, I think I know the answer to that; I think I'm in the cave that Knuckles was talking about. He said something about Bridge Night and ridges. I wonder if we're any closer to his friends yet?_

_--Tails_

When Tails woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on a bed, with the second being that he was ravenously hungry. However, both of these realisations were eclipsed by the third one; namely that Knuckles was nowhere to be seen.

Getting to his feet, Tails padded over to the arch.

_Guess Knuckles and me made it after all_.

There was a slight rustle of something moving against the stone outside and Tails edged back, glancing around for help.

"Knuckles? Knuckles, is that you?"

A buzzing sound made him suck in his breath and back off further; the noise sounded a lot like a buzz bomber. It drew nearer and the fox tensed. Maybe Knuckles had messed up somehow. Maybe they'd been captured by Robotnik.

Movement snapped Tails' attention to the left and his fist seemed to act of its own volition, flying around to smash the source hard in the face. There was a high-pitched sound a little like an air-raid siren as the guilty party was propelled it backwards until it crashed into the wall and dropped to the ground. Wincing, it got to its feet and jammed its fists onto what – for want of a better word – could loosely be called its hips.

"Heeyy! That was _mean_! You didn't have to _do_ that!"

Tails squared into a combat stance, staring at the bee, breathing rapidly.

"Who are you? Why am I here? What did you do with Knuckles?"

"My name is Deathsting the Almighty Bringer of Doom, you are here to perish through starvation and thus serve as a warning to all those who encroach upon my domain and Knuckles has abandoned you to my tender mercies in order to sacrifice his life to Robotnik and claim all the glory for himself through the resultant martyrdom!" the bee intoned, striking a dramatic pose, and a red and black armadillo promptly made him a liar on all three counts by coming in and saying, "Charmy, come help me bring the kid's lunch in, and Espio says we better save some for Knuckles when he gets back from his walk and..." He paused, frowning slightly. "What's wrong, you got cramp?"

Charmy abandoned the dramatic pose and glared at him.

"Thanks a lot, Mighty! You sure know how to ruin the moment!"

Tails glanced from one to the other, not entirely sure when the balance had shifted.

"Where am I?"

"Safe. Here." Mighty took a plate that was liberally stacked with chili dogs from the sulking Charmy and handed it to Tails. "Espio picked these up for you. You'd better eat 'em quick; Vector's been shovelling them down his throat like there's no tomorrow."

Tails stared as though he'd never seen food before, then grabbed a chili dog in each hand and tried to cram them both into his mouth simultaneously.

"Alright, alright, not _that_ quick," Mighty said, somewhat taken aback by the fox's voracity.

"Sry, fjft—" Tails swallowed, choked, coughed up and swallowed a second time and tried again. "It's just I haven't had these for ages." He looked up at Mighty, frowning slightly. "I...know you. Don't I?" he added, turning it into a question.

"Sure, we've met," Mighty said easily. "You and Sonic stopped by my place for chili dogs one time. It was something of a flying visit, though, so I can understand how you might've forgotten." His expression became more sombre. "Tails, is it true? About Sonic? Is he really gone?"

Tails looked away morosely and replaced his third chili dog. He'd just lost his appetite.

"I take it that's a yes," Mighty added delicately. Tails nodded once and the armadillo shifted his gaze to the floor. "Damn. That's rough. That's real rough. I'm sorry."

Tails looked up at him.

"You knew Sonic? Really knew him?"

"You could say that. We grew up together, at least until I was ten and took off to explore on my own. Sonic had...other friends by then."

"I know. He told me about Robotnik."

Mighty looked at him in obvious surprise.

"He did? That's not like Sonic; he always played that one very close to his chest. The only reason I know is because he damn near ran me over on the way out of Robotnik's lab."

"Well..." Tails swung his legs. "He didn't really. Well, he sort of did; Knux confronted him with it and Sonic confessed. I dunno how Knuckles knew though."

"He knew because I told him." Catching sight of the fox's expression, Mighty snorted. "I wanted to get out before the crap hit the fan and I'd seen this floating island on my travels. I persuaded a friend to let me borrow his glider and went up there to hide. That's where I met Knuckles; I told him what Sonic had told me because I was too dazed and panicked to think straight."

Tails stared at him.

"You told Knuckles about Sonic? He was your _friend_."

"I'm not proud of it," Mighty said bitterly.

"Then if he knew Robotnik was evil, why'd he believe him when he said Sonic was going to steal the Master Emerald?"

"He wasn't called Robotnik then. I met him once with Sonic, and he was going by the name Dr Kintobor before the accident. If he'd given Knuckles that name, I don't doubt he'd have been thrown off the island. As it was, all Knux had to go on was the name Sonic, and he already knew someone by that name had had a major hand in starting the conflict on the surface."

"Knuckles said he saw Sonic though. He said he saw a blue streak running away."

Mighty shrugged.

"He probably did. Knuckles isn't a great one for making things up. But like I said, the only reason he knows the truth about Sonic is because I gave it to him. He's never told anyone else, if that's what's got you worried."

Tails picked up the chilli dog, turned it over and over in his hands thoughtfully, then snapped it up in three bites.

"When's Knuckles coming back?" he said, around a mouthful of sausage and bun.

Mighty shrugged again.

"I don't know. Knuckles isn't a big one for timekeeping. Couple hours, maybe?" Seeing the fox's worried expression, Mighty rubbed his shoulder. "Look, he'll be fine. I know Knux. That guy's a born survivor if ever there was one."

* * *

The born survivor, had he been able to hear this, would have disputed this claim strongly. Knuckles had been in Robotnik's fortress for three hours and in a thoroughly foul mood for two and a half.

This last wasn't as common an occurrence as some people might think; even Tails' alarming behaviour in making physical contact with the echidna whenever the fox was asleep hadn't irritated Knuckles. Freaked him out big-time, but not irritated him.

"You just have to guard the Master Emerald, Knuckles," he muttered, in a passable imitation of his mother's voice. "Just stay there the whole time and never leave Angel Island no matter what. It's a huge responsibility and a tough one, but you'll have to rise to the challenge."

He sighed again. He'd failed on both counts; Robotnik had stolen the Master Emerald once (and tried again a few more times) and Knuckles had abandoned his duty to go treasure-hunting with Sonic and Tails.

The echidna kicked the metal wall in a rare display of pique, leaving a sizeable dent. Not for the first time, he thought rather resentfully that it must be nice to be Sonic or Tails, able to take off whenever and wherever the fancy took them, every day a new adventure, new experiences.

Pausing to punch out a robot almost automatically, Knuckles stared down at the remains.

"Did it never occur to anyone that I might want a life of my own as well?" he demanded stridently.

The robot didn't answer. It was ignorant of the concept of philosophy or sacred duties or obligations of honour, and with a gaping hole in its head, it was ignorant of everything else as well.

Getting in had proved surprisingly easy. Omega had helped him out – the old _let-me-through-I've-got-a-prisoner _worked every time, or at least this time – and then abandoned him to his own devices.

Knuckles ground his teeth in frustration. That 'worthless consumer model' was going to find itself in a heap of trouble when the echidna got back to the CDA.

If_ you get back, right Knuckles?_

The echidna grimaced. That was a good point...although if the empty corridors were anything to go by, getting out shouldn't be too hard.

Knuckles snorted. Yeah, right. There was an old echidna proverb; _if your enemy's stronghold is empty, it's usually because he's making room for something large and unwelcome. _At the moment, though, there was nothing more large or unwelcome in this corridor than a spherical switch. And since a puggle's attitude towards anything unrelated to echidna culture could best be summed up in the phrase _when in doubt, whack it_, and since Knuckles had never really had the opportunity to learn what constituted the viewpoint of a mature (or at least adolescent) echidna, he hit the switch hard and the earth and the sky promptly switched places.

Nine times out of ten, this is a romantic way of saying that someone went arse over head. But in this case, it was the literal truth; gravity abruptly reversed itself and Knuckles rose (fell?) to land squarely on the ceiling/floor...not to mention his head. Getting to his feet and rubbing his sore skull, Knuckles glowered into the empty corridor.

"What the hell kind of screwed up place _is_ this?" he yelled.

The answer was obvious; Robotnik's kind of screwed up place. Knowing it didn't do much to improve the echidna's temper.

Well, at least this gave him the opportunity to sneak around some more. People didn't usually expect to find upside-down echidnas walking on the ceiling after all.

_Yeah, right,_ a nasty little voice inside him whispered. _Robotnik built everything in this place, including that switch. You don't think that there's a slight chance that he may know what it does?_

Knuckles considered this, decided the little voice was right and didn't much like coming to that conclusion.

A new and unpleasant thought struck him; if he left the fort, would his gravity realign itself or would he end up floating up through the atmosphere?

Carefully, he took a step forward. It was safe; he wasn't about to fall...at least, not unless he hit another one of those switches.

Gaining confidence with every step, Knuckles continued on down the corridor. He didn't have the faintest idea where he was going or what he was going to do when he got there, but anything was better than sitting around waiting for Robotnik to come and collect him.

Knuckles kept walking for ten minutes, then fifteen, then twenty and still didn't see any robots, something which unnerved him more than an army would have done.

Did Robotnik know he was here? Probably; the doc's security measures were second to none. But if that was the case, then why hadn't he sent one of his minions to capture or kill the echidna, or...hell, or even come himself; Knuckles knew full well that when it came to destroying him, Sonic or Tails, Robotnik subscribed to the old school of thought of never asking his minions to do anything he wasn't happy – if not positively ecstatic – about doing himself.

He rounded a corner and came face to face with what looked like a vent in the floor. The appearance of anything other than the smooth corridor caught the echidna by surprise and he'd already half climbed the nearest wall before reality managed to get his attention and he dropped back down with an uncharacteristically sheepish expression.

_Well, why not?_

Knuckles jumped down the hole, flaring his spines in a glide. It was a very graceful motion, and therefore unfortunate that it inadvertently finished on a switch which promptly dumped the echidna unceremoniously onto the ground (ceiling?) again. Wincing, he got to his feet.

"I'm getting very tired of this," he muttered under his breath, then looked around at the new room he'd crash-landed into and forgot what he'd said; his own personal discomfort didn't seem like much compared to what he was looking at now. Boxes three feet by three were stacked four deep along the walls, boxes with barred doors.

_Not boxes; cells_, Knuckles realised. He'd thought at first they were storage crates; the idea that there could be _people_ forced inside these boxes had been too horrifying to enter his head. Mercifully, most were empty, and the ones that weren't...the echidna could see that the occupants were beyond help. The majority were dead, and as he stared at one body – this person had been tortured to death by the look of it – there was a soft rustle of movement and as his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he could pick out a boiling mass of maggots, churning and wriggling in ecstasy as they chewed on the dead flesh.

Knuckles couldn't help himself. He half turned, staggered away a few steps, then bent double and threw up his guts. After that he avoided looking into any of the crates.

There was a large containment chamber at the far end of the room, one which was shaped like a tube and which contained nothing but metal grille and a central column inside. Knuckles wasn't too sure about the reasoning behind that second one, but it seemed a much safer bet than any of the boxes, and so he started towards it.

When he reached the outside, he saw that it also contained people, the worst of Robotnik's prisoners. Most of them were lying on the ground, too weak from torture and lack of food to move or even raise their heads to look at Knuckles as he approached the glass. Looking around, sickened to the heart by what he saw, the echidna noticed several more people on the ground, lying still. Knuckles had only ever seen people that still when movement was no longer an option. A few – and the echidna was immensely grateful that there was nothing in his stomach to come up – were in the early stages of decomposition.

Well, even if he hadn't managed to work out what to do about Robotnik yet, he could damn well do something about these poor people! The Chaotix could shelter them, even if he had to pay them out of his own hoard (which, Knuckles admitted, was very likely).

Knuckles drew back one fist and slammed it into the glass...which held just fine, thankyou very much, without so much as a slight quiver.

The echidna stared, completely at a loss. He'd grown so used to his strength being able to handle everything that he had no idea how to cope with it being balked so seamlessly.

It was time to switch to Plan B, which was to come up damn quickly with a Plan C. Knuckles examined the glass. Not a mark, not a join or seam, nothing to show how this giant tube was put together.

_There must be something I can do. Robotnik put them in there, which means there must be some way to take them out again._

Keeping his voice low, he said, "Hey."

There was no immediate response. A couple of the prisoners glanced up at him, so Knuckles knew the glass wasn't soundproof, but none of them answered.

"Where's the switch?" the echidna asked. "The switch to open the door, where is it?"

Silence. This time none of them bothered even looking at him. Knuckles shook his head, frustrated.

"Look, Robotnik's sentries are probably going to be here any second. Tell me where the switch is and I can get you out of this!"

One of the prisoners sitting against the column raised a haggard, desolate face to his.

"Can you, Knuckles." It wasn't a question; it was a derogatory sneer.

The echidna stared at the stranger, forehead creased into a slight frown.

"How'd you know my name?"

The prisoner didn't answer. Those three words seemed to have exhausted him completely. Instead he just continued staring; Knuckles doubted the poor guy had the energy to blink.

Something suddenly clicked in his mind and his jaw dropped open.

"Holy crap," he said hoarsely. "_Sonic_?"

**A/N: I almost never comment on my own stuff, but in this case I'll do it to forestall the likely squawkings; for the record, I'm not doing this on a whim, it was planned right from the beginning. If you don't believe me, re-read the summary; it says Sonic was only _presumed_ dead ;)**

**Anyway, if you read this and wanna find out more about what's happening, please leave a review :P I know this was a pretty short chapter, but the next one's a lot longer, I promise :) Besides, how could I _not_ leave it at this point? weg**


	14. Living Will, Dead Will

**Kj: Okay, it's updated ;)** **Enjoy!**

**Saffra: Sonic as a human...now there's an interesting thought ;) Hmm...maybe I can work it into another fic...he's stuck as a hedgehog in this one :P**

**Ri2: We can but hope ;) That much at least will be revealed in this chapter though :P**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: Well...kinda short ;) I did add that bit with Tails to bulk it out; originally I was going to write that here and leave you hanging about Sonic for a little bit longer (Am I evil? Oh yeah)**

**BlueCheetah: Hey, continuous comments are fine by me LOL! I'm glad to know you're still reading it and enjoying it ;) And yes, it is updated right now...most of this chapter was written at about the time when Sonic et al were racing through the power plant ;)**

**FriedBrickWall: Well...maybe 'almost over' was putting it a little strongly; there are still a few chapters to go :P But! The story will continue in the sequel, and very possibly the sequel to the sequel, so please keep reading. (_Knuckles: --reads written chunks of sequels-- I don't believe it. How could you humiliate me like that! Is it some kind of female human thing?) _And forestalling your next question, yes, the sequels will feature Tails very strongly...in a way :P (_Knuckles: On the subject of Tails, if this person doesn't quit insulting me then I'm gonna just go back to Angel Island and abandon the kid to his own devices! You like that?_) Yes, Knux, whatever. Now go find a nice emerald to stare at. (_Knuckles: I'd like to see this person come face to face with someone they knew back from the dead, see how they cope!_)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11465_

_Oh hell, oh hell, oh hell. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on this whole relaxation business, something happens to leave me with the feeling of thrashing helplessly in midair. First it was that damn kid using me as a pillow (and a mattress, comfort blanket and hot water bottle to boot) and now this!_

_I just realised what I wrote. I don't mean that about Tails; he just...unnerved me. Nobody's ever done anything like that to me before, and it freaked me out big time. The last real physical contact I had was with my mother ten years ago, and then I was the snuggler, not the snugglee. I don't like not being in control of a situation. I don't like surprises, and getting a quasi-hug from a mechanically gifted two-tailed fox falls broadly into that category!_

_Well...he's a good kid really._

_I just read what I wrote and realised that it's nothing more than a way of meandering around the truth of the matter; Sonic's alive. Barely, but he's alive. He looks like he's been dunked in a vat of acid – hell, knowing Robotnik, he may well have been – but he's alive._

_How? How could I have got it so wrong? How did Sonic survive that fall? It was over three damn miles onto solid rock! How could he have made it? More importantly, how the hell did Robotnik get his greedy hands on him?_

_Questions, questions. Too many questions and nowhere near enough answers. I dread to think how this is gonna affect Tails. I'll have to tell him when I get back; it'd be better for him to hear it from me rather than come face to face with his hero in this place, particularly given how Sonic looks now._

_Note to self: next time anyone invites me to pay a little visit to the Casino Zones with them, run like hell!_

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

Sonic shook his head tiredly.

"Long time no see, Knuckles. What the hell kept you?"

"The little fact that you took a three mile drop off a railing!" Knuckles said, too shocked to soften his tones. "You...I saw you fall. Tails tried to catch you and he spent weeks searching the ground for some trace of you, but he never found any."

"I never reached the ground."

"Then..." Knuckles broke off, still staring openly. There didn't seem to be a part of the hedgehog that wasn't injured or scarred in some way. Blood had soaked Sonic's hide until it was a grotesque purple; it had been that combined with the poor lighting that had prevented Knuckles from recognising him at first. The worst was his feet; seeing Sonic without his trademark red-and-white sneakers was strange enough, but the feet in question looked like nothing more than charred stubs, a mass of twisted flesh and suppurating burns. They were still there, but only just.

Sonic followed his gaze and curled his lip.

"Yeah. That's what happens when you try running at the speed of sound with no protection."

Knuckles sat down, hard. The action didn't look entirely voluntary.

"Why...what happened? How'd you get here?"

Sonic shrugged.

"One of Robotnik's pets zapped me with a transporter ray before I hit the ground. I wound up here and here I've been ever since."

Knuckles frowned, trying to put his finger on what bothered him about Sonic. It was something...something in the voice, in the eyes...

"Where's the switch?" he said. "C'mon Sonic, there must be a switch to open this door somewhere. _Where_?"

Another shrug.

"What does it matter?"

Defeat. That was it. Sonic had finally given up the fight.

"Sure it matters," Knuckles said sharply. "You wanna stay here for the rest of your life?"

"The rest of my life?" Sonic sneered. "And just how long do you think that's likely to be, Knuckles?" He paused. "How do I know you really _are _Knuckles?" he said suddenly. "How do I know you're not one of Robotnik's sick games, a hologram or sophisticated robot?"

Knuckles stared for a few minutes – in his worst nightmares he'd never imagined anything like _this _– then shrugged.

"Ask me something."

"Where's the Master Emerald?"

"Nice try, Sonic. Ask me something else."

Sonic racked his brains and Knuckles frowned slightly; had the hedgehog's suffering really affected his mind that much?

"What nickname did you make me _swear_ never to use on you again?"

Knuckles squirmed.

"Ah, c'mon Sonic, didja have to pick _that_ one? Robotnik could be listening."

"Answer it!"

The echidna sighed.

"Alright, fine; Knucky. You also had a contest with Tails to try and come up with a better nickname for me, and the kid listed Rad Red and Crimson Storm. And when you tried to make me act as your slave and fetch chili dogs, soda and ice cream for your so-called solar energy storage, I emptied a water barrel on top of you. Now, shall we cut the crap, Sonic? How can I break this glass?"

Sonic laughed, a quiet, cynical sound.

"Ohhh, that's an easy one, Knuckles. You can't."

Knuckles ground his teeth in frustration.

"Alright then, where's the switch?"

"Look, forget it. There's only one way out for anyone in this place and it's not through any of the doors."

The echidna pounded the glass.

"Dammit, Sonic, snap out of this!"

"Already snapped, Knuckles, already snapped." Sonic looked away. "Now get out of here before those sentries you threatened us with appear."

Knuckles brought the other fist up and leaned on both.

"Aren't you worried about how Tails has been?"

"Not much anymore."

"He's getting over your 'death', or starting to. Poor kid was too sick with grief to eat or speak or do much of anything in the beginning."

Sonic shifted his stare back to Knuckles.

"Are you telling me this to make me feel better, Knuckles? Because it's not working."

"No, I'm not telling you to damn well make you feel better! I'm telling you because once upon a time, that kid's welfare was the most important thing in your life, even more important than your own!"

"_Was_ being the operative word," Sonic said flatly. He shook his head. "Get real, Knuckles. I don't give a damn whether I live or die anymore after all that's happened. You really expect me to give a damn about someone who's safe and sound?"

Knuckles opened his mouth, found he couldn't think of a satisfactory retort, and closed it again, remembering something his father had often said.

_Those whose hands are in the water should not expect sympathy from those whose hands are in the fire._

"Sounds like gibberish to me, Knuckles, but you're probably right."

"Yeah." The echidna hadn't realised he'd spoken aloud, and his mouth quirked in a slightly grim smile. "Well...I did try to stop you firing that cannon."

"What are you doing here, anyway? I know you didn't come for me, since five minutes ago you had no idea I was even alive, so why are you here?"

Knuckles hesitated.

"Well...I don't want to worry you—"

"_Worry_ me?" Sonic stared at him for a long moment, then burst out laughing, laughed until his sides hurt. "I'm a cripple trapped in the dungeon of my worst enemy who now has all the Chaos Emeralds and you don't want to worry me!"

"What?" Knuckles said sharply.

"Robotnik took the Chaos Emeralds. You weren't stupid enough to think he'd let me keep them, did you? He has all seven now. I dunno what he's been doing with them."

"Nothing," Knuckles said matter-of-factly. "I told you twice before, Sonic, and I'll now tell you a third and final time; I am _not_ the trusting type. When you were asleep one night, I swapped a Chaos Emerald for a normal one that was the same size and pretty much the same colour. I've had it for seven and a half years now and kept it for just such a purpose as this; it was too perfect an opportunity to miss. Valuable enough in its own way, and I'm sure the good doctor could get at least a few thousand for it in a street sale, but it's not a Chaos Emerald. I hid the real one somewhere else."

Sonic stared at him incredulously, then a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah? And I never felt the difference because they don't work together unless you have the entire set." He shook his head. "When did you do it?"

"Bridge Zone. The night after Tails rescued us."

"That's why you were so keen to take the first watch that night."

"That's why. I didn't think I'd get another chance, certainly not a better one. So no, Robotnik doesn't have all the Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles paused as an ugly thought occurred to him. "Then again, if he gets his hands on the Master Emerald, he won't need them."

Sonic coughed several times, a harsh racking sound, then spat a mixture of blood and phlegm onto the floor.

"Knuckles? Why the Master Emerald? Why do the echidnas guard that one? What does it do?"

Knuckles shot him a quizzical look.

"Robotnik didn't tell you? Before, I mean?"

Sonic shook his head.

"He said something about stabilising, but that's all I understood. Then it all went haywire."

Knuckles sighed. His duty as the guardian prevented him from even speaking of the Master Emerald, but these were exceptional circumstances. If anyone deserved to know, Sonic did.

Besides, if you wanted to be utterly brutal about it, the chances were good that he wasn't going to survive to tell anyone on the outside.

"It's a...well, I guess you'd call it a conduit. It's linked into the seven Chaos Emeralds – even I'm not sure how – and that's what makes it so powerful. It can do whatever any of the Chaos Emeralds can do, and it can be used as a kind of window—"

"What do you mean, window?"

"Pretty much what I say. If you place a Chaos Emerald in one place and then focus on its energies, you'll see a picture in the Master Emerald which would be the same as if you were looking out from inside that Chaos Emerald. The Chaos Emeralds also broadcast their energy continually to the Master Emerald. You can see any Emerald, not just see _out_ of it but see it in its entirety, see where it is. It also changes colour when all seven Chaos Emeralds have been brought to within five feet of each other and activated."

"Why?"

"The Chaos Emeralds are too unstable to survive in such close proximity for very long, especially all seven of them. Unfortunately, although they work fine individually, they only work together in that kind of proximity."

"Individually?" Sonic repeated, frowning slightly. "What do you mean, individually?" When Knuckles didn't answer, he pressed on. "Knux, c'mon. You're about the only expert there is, certainly the only expert I'll get down here. I've collected the emeralds over and over ever since I was eleven years old and Robotnik went bad, and I've never understood what was so special about them."

The echidna remained silent, torn, and Sonic took a deep breath.

"Knuckles, we're probably never going to see each other again after you leave. I'm not asking you to hand over the Master Emerald. I'm asking you to answer a question that's bugged me _incessantly_ for the past four years; what are the secrets of the emeralds?"

Knuckles made up his mind, unwilling to admit how much Sonic's comment about never seeing each other again had chilled him.

"Each of the seven Chaos Emeralds has a special power. Take the first one – the bright blue one – for example. It's a teleporter. Point it at someone, the energies radiate out and you just have to focus on where you want to send them."

"A teleporter, huh?" Sonic raised his eye ridges. "Who'da thought?"

Knuckles shook his head.

"Sonic, we gotta get out of here. Can you walk?"

"Can I _what_!" Incredulity soaked Sonic's words, then he laughed bitterly and for too long. "Are you taking the piss?" he said eventually. "No, I can't damn well walk. In case it escaped your notice, Knuckles, I lost my _feet_, my damn _feet_."

"Knuckles?" the echidna echoed. "Thought that would rank a Knucklehead at the very least. It would've back then."

"You just said it yourself, Knuckles. That was then." Sonic looked away. "This is now."

There was an awkward silence. Knuckles had all but forgotten their current situation.

"You should be thrilled," Sonic added in a monotone. "You were always bitching about how you wanted me to take things more seriously, how you were fed up with my being so happy—"

"I never said that," Knuckles interrupted very quietly.

"No, but you thought it, didn't you?"

The echidna didn't answer. That in itself was answer enough.

"So like I said, you should be thrilled. You got what you wanted, huh?"

Knuckles shook his head. Although he had admittedly spent most of his time wishing Sonic would grow up and develop at least half a sense of maturity, he'd never wanted the hedgehog to attain that maturity like _this_.

"Sonic, I didn't...I never meant...look, if I could go back—"

"Too late," Sonic cut across coolly. "Go on, Knuckles. You want to take Robotnik down, he's probably in the control centre at this time." He smiled then, a dead expression. "Maybe if you're lucky, he'll kill you outright."

"I'm not gonna abandon you, Sonic."

"Why not? You did before." Sonic shook his head, that ghoulish smile still on his face. "If I still had them, I'd bet every single Chaos Emerald that you didn't bother helping Tails to look for me, even though you could have glided down well enough. Go on, go do what you came here to do. Maybe when he's done with you Robotnik'll be kind enough to toss you in here with me and we can catch up on old times."

Knuckles couldn't think of anything to say. All he could think was how glad he was Tails wasn't here to see this. The kid had just about started to get over Sonic's 'death' – sometimes an entire day could go by without him mentioning it – and seeing his hero reduced to this would have destroyed him. Growling in frustration, the echidna got to his feet.

"What do you want, Sonic? An apology? Fine! I'm sorry that after watching you fall three miles to the ground, I didn't think you'd still be alive! In case it escaped your notice, throughout our entire trip I seemed to be the only one who was even remotely in touch with reality!"

"What I _want_," Sonic said dully, "is for you to get out, Knuckles." He closed his eyes. "I get little enough time to rest and sleep without being tortured as it is. I want to make the most of it. You really want to do something to help me, take those damn sneakers away with you when you go. I'm sick of having to stare at them all the time."

"Huh? What—" Knuckles followed the tilt of the hedgehog's jaw and caught sight of them; Sonic's old sneakers displayed on a pedestal. Knuckles knew it was just another form of torture, albeit a psychological one. Even if Sonic could have reached the sneakers, there was no way he'd be running anywhere. Despite his slowly developing hatred for Robotnik, Knuckles couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration for the bastard's mind; he'd gone for the one thing that would hurt and destroy Sonic the fastest.

"What happened to your feet?" he said very quietly. Sonic dragged his eyes open to fix the echidna with a cold look, then shrugged.

"Robotnik said that since I liked running so much, he'd be happy to oblige. He set up a treadmill suspended in mid-air over a vat of acid, and I had to either run or get dissolved. Looking back on it, I think I made the wrong choice."

Knuckles just looked at him helplessly, not knowing what to say.

"Thought you'd have gone back to your beloved duty," Sonic added. Knuckles glanced away.

"Yeah, I wanted to. But Tails...he wants revenge. I swore I'd help him, and I am."

"How'd you find this place?"

Knuckles shrugged.

"Asked around. I have certain friends who do nothing but watch Robotnik, see where he's going and what he's doing, and who know the quickest and easiest routes to get there. And let's face it, Sonic, he's not exactly shy about advertising his presence. I thought we'd probably have our work cut out for us as it was. I wanted to get as much of an advantage as I could."

Sonic snorted.

"Yeah? Well, the doc's in a lousy mood, has been all morning. You picked the right day to die; he'll be thrilled to get you as well."

"He's not gonna get me," Knuckles said, although he couldn't suppress the slight chill that went down his spine; Sonic had sounded so blasé about it, as though the event had already happened.

"That's what I always thought, Knuckles, and you can see well enough what's happened to me."

"Yeah," Knuckles said bluntly. "I can see that you've lost your speed and spent the last few months moping and wallowing in self-pity instead of trying to adapt and do something _constructive_."

"Like what?" Sonic said tonelessly.

"Like watching the guards to work out their shifts," Knuckles retorted. "Like trying to trick Robotnik into gloating and telling him something, _anything_. Don't insult me by asking me to believe he hasn't come down to crow over you, Sonic."

The hedgehog was obstinately silent and Knuckles pressed on, undaunted.

"The only thing – the one thing that kept you alive during all your daredevil and thrill-seeking activities – was your ability to think faster than you ran. Robotnik might have stopped you running, but he couldn't have stopped you thinking short of removing your brain." _And he'd have to have found it first_, the echidna thought but didn't say. The old Sonic had never minded a joke at his expense – so long as it was a good one – but Knuckles wasn't entirely sure what to make of this new Sonic.

"Robotnik isn't stupid, Knuckles. Yes, he's come down to _crow over me_, as you put it. But he's never given away any of his plans in that crowing." He shook his head. "Get out, Knuckles, before he gets you too. Get out and don't bother coming back; there's nothing you can do to change things. You can tell the kid that from me as well."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"Then get comfortable, because you can't help me." Sonic favoured him with another dead smile, one which split the hedgehog's cracked lips. If he noticed, he gave no sign, and Knuckles supposed the pain of a split lip was trifling compared to what Sonic had already gone through. "But thanks for trying."

Knuckles shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm not giving up."

Sonic closed his eyes again with a tired sigh. "Whatever. Like I said, take the sneakers with you when you go. They're no damn good to me now anyway. Maybe the kid'll like 'em."

"Tails, you mean?" Although Knuckles rarely used Tails' name – he was almost always 'the kid' to the echidna whenever he thought about him at all – there was something disturbing about hearing Sonic refer to him so dismissively.

"Yeah, him. Might as well have someone get some good outta them. Now piss off, Knuckles. I'm too tired to argue any more with you." As Knuckles watched, the hedgehog's breathing became slower, more regular.

Carefully, he crossed over and lifted the sneakers off their pedestal. He was half expecting an alarm to sound and was almost annoyed when it didn't; a good fight with a bunch of bots might have helped dissipate some of the storm raging inside him. Looking over at the cylinder, his eyes narrowed slightly as he caught sight of Sonic's sleeping form.

"You don't get shot of me that easy, hedgehog. I'll be back, and soon."

Glancing around, his gaze fell upon a lever set back in a recess in the wall. Knuckles supposed it was asking too much for it to be the one to open the containment cylinder, but still...it had to be worth a try.

He'd got as far as reaching out when a hand slammed down on his shoulder and a voice hissed in his ear, "One more move and you're dead."

**Okay, so Tails wasn't in this one, but there is a reason for this; the next part with Tails calls for Knuckles as well. I did think about adding it on here, but...well...this seemed as good a place as any to leave it ;) Again, if you read this, please review!**


	15. The Return

**Okay, so after another futile round of Sonic Heroes (I'm probably going to give up completely on Team Sonic unless I can find a downloadable saved game for the PC version...shame, really, whoever designed the compulsory homing attack puzzles should be beaten vigorously with a giant mallet :P) I'm in a writing mood. Plus I've reached that stage where I want to press on and finish this so I can start work on the next one ;)**

**Kj: Yep, I agree...question is, will it happen?**

**FriedBrickWall: Read again; Knuckles DID get the shoes :P He didn't get a chance to go anywhere with them, but he got them. (_Knuckles: What's Koolaid?_) Haven't a clue, Knux; never heard of it. Some kind of dye or drink, I guess :S**

**Saffra: I agree; it's something nobody ever expects to hear. And yep, I got it done quickly (mostly because I'd already written most of it back in Chapter 3 or 4 :P) I'm glad I got the effect I was going for though; the idea of an un-Soniclike Sonic ;) And...hmm, what did happen to Tails' salad? (_Tails: That's what I wanna know!_) Not sure. Maybe he got it with the Chaotix ;)**

**Ri2: Yeah...I think Sonic would agree with you, maybe he would have been better off dead.**

**Samantha27: A few chapters for you, a couple of months for the characters ;) As for the reunion between Sonic and Tails...well, it will happen, eventually :P**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: weg Thanks; I like Sonic's personality change as well...kinda. Well, he was fun to write, anyway ;)**

**TC Chan: blushes Thanks; I'm glad I was able to surprise you :P**

**Matri90: Thanks, and it's updated ;)**

**Treasurehunter: I'll do my best!**

_Guardian's Log no. 11466_

_This is bad. Worse than bad. It's whirling like a twister in my mind at the minute, so let me see if I can't get it down straight._

_One: Sonic is alive. I know I mentioned this in the last entry, but it's too damn incredible to let lie._

_Two: Sonic is crippled. Robotnik basically forced him to run his feet ragged._

_Three: Sonic's given up. All he does now is sit there and wait to die. I'm damn glad Tails wasn't with me to see him like this; poor kid's suffered enough already...and something tells me there's still enough of Sonic in there not to want Tails to see him at anything less than sheer perfection._

_Four: It would have been better for all concerned if Sonic really had died in that accident._

_Five: How the hell am I ever going to tell Tails about this?_

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_So these are Knuckles' friends. I think I can see why he never told anyone about them. I wish I knew where he was though; that bee said he'd gone to Robotnik's fortress, but he wouldn't go without me, would he?_

_Would he?_

_--Tails_

Knuckles didn't bother to think; his reaction was automatic. Without looking, he struck behind him only to find his fist seized in a powerful hold. Twisting around, he lashed out with the other hand, only to encounter the same problem.

There was a ripple in the air and Espio appeared, still holding Knuckles' fists tightly.

"Will you quit shadow-boxing long enough for me to stop you losing your hands entirely!"

Knuckles stared at him, then let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"Espio, you wanna _warn_ me before you sneak up like that? What are you _doing_ here?"

"Saving you, it looks like."

Knuckles snorted.

"Right. And that's why you threatened to kill me if I made one more move, huh?"

"I didn't. I said you'd be dead if you made one more move. Robotnik has that switch protected by infrared triggers." The chameleon released Knuckles and stepped back. "There are times when it pays to be a reptile, Knux. Mighty asked me to come get you back; your little friend's woken up, eaten about twice his own bodyweight and all he's been saying is asking where you are."

Knuckles shook his head, barely taking any of this in.

"You'll never guess who's here," he said hoarsely.

"Sonic?" Espio smiled quietly at the echidna's expression. "I imagine that means I'm right."

"How the hell did you—"

"You told me you and the kid never found a body. You'd have found something that was left, no matter how far he fell, unless something caught him before he landed. The force would have snapped his spine like a twig, so physical catching was out of the question. But he could still be teleported with no ill effects."

"No ill effects?" Knuckles echoed. The image of Sonic – never far from his mind – arose in front of his eyes, the scars, the burns, most of all his damn _feet_, and he snorted. Sonic had suffered plenty of ill effects alright.

"Not from the teleportation itself," Espio said, with a look that said he knew all too well what had passed through the echidna's mind.

"You knew? You knew all along and you let me go in unaware?"

"I did _not_ know; I suspected." Espio glanced to his left. "Are you planning to get him out?"

"Of course I damn well am! You don't imagine I'm gonna abandon him, do you? He..." Knuckles shook his head. "Robotnik crippled him."

"Are you surprised?"

"What? Yes!"

"Why?" When Knuckles didn't answer, Espio shook his head. "You're as honourable as they come, Knux, and like so many honourable people, you're also as _naïve_ as they come. Sonic was too dangerous a captive all the time he was as fast as he was. If I took a prisoner like that, I'd cripple him as well, just like I'd cut off your hands or the kid's tails."

Knuckles stared at the chameleon as though he'd never seen him before. For the first time he realised that nobody – himself included – knew anything about Espio's past, about his life prior to the Chaotix.

"How does that make you any different from Robotnik?"

"Point one, I never claimed to be different from him," Espio said coolly. "Point two, I _am_ different from him in the sense that while I would do all those things, I wouldn't actually enjoy it." He paused. "We have to get out of here," he added.

"Not without Sonic."

"Don't pretend to be more stupid and obstinate than you are, Knuckles. Sonic's beyond help, at least at the moment. Besides, how are you going to explain to the kid when you turn up with his hero, magically resurrected?"

Knuckles hesitated. Breaking the news to Tails was something he was seriously dreading.

"Espio, you're not seriously telling me to turn my back on Sonic?" he said stridently. "To leave him to _die_ here?"

"Yes!" Espio's voice rose to match Knuckles'. "You can't carry him _and_ fight your way out, assuming you could get through the glass! And incidentally, that switch you were so determined to push doesn't open the cells. It causes a robot the size of a small tank to drop on top of you."

Knuckles eyed him warily.

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"Experience."

The echidna shook his head.

"Say what you like; I am not walking out and abandoning Sonic!"

"You have no choice! You can't do anything to help him right now and there's no point in arguing about it further!"

"You're the one arguing about it, not me!"

"I'm saying how things have to be, Knuckles. I'm not arguing about Sonic; I'm telling you!"

"Would you both mind _not arguing_ about me somewhere else?" Sonic's voice came from further down the corridor, a clear stamp of irritation in it. "Some of us are trying to _sleep_."

Espio looked at Knuckles.

"I rest my case. C'mon. Let's get out while we still can. You want to get Sonic out, fine, but you can't do that when you're locked up with him."

Knuckles glanced in Sonic's direction.

"I don't know the way—"

"There's a back way. Come _on_." Espio actually went so far as to grab the echidna by one arm and pull. Caught off guard, Knuckles stumbled after him and towards a dark hole in the wall.

"The air ducts?" Knuckles stared. "Espio, that's so cliché!"

"For a good reason. This particular duct takes you all the way out if you know the route. Follow me."

Knuckles took one last look over his shoulder at Sonic's form. The hedgehog had closed his eyes again – either asleep or faking – and so Knuckles reluctantly followed Espio into the duct.

Neither of them spoke until they reached the Chaotix cave; Espio had camouflaged himself again and Knuckles was torn between shock at Sonic's appearance, fury at Espio for persuading him to leave, fury at _himself_ for giving into said persuasion and most of all, apprehension about how Tails was going to handle this latest development.

_I guess I'll find out soon enough_, he thought grimly, catching sight of a familiar tan and white furry figure.

"Knuckles!" Tails rushed towards him and buried the startled echidna in a hug that almost knocked him off his feet. "You're okay!"

Knuckles shifted uncomfortably and unwound the fox's arms from his waist.

"Yeah, okay kid, okay, don't overdo the welcome wagon."

Tails backed off and glowered at him.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again! I was worried sick! Next time you wanna go invade Robotnik's fort, you take me too, understand?"

There was the faintest whisper of scales on stone as Espio slid past, followed by a low chuckle.

"Oh sure, real funny!" Knuckles said, glowering in the chameleon's direction.

"You could've left a note!" Tails added.

"I told the Chaotix to tell you where I was."

"Why didn't you wait and tell me yourself?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't have let me go without you, and I wanted to spy the place out on my own."

Tails looked up at him accusingly.

"That was still a lousy thing to do, Knux, leave me here. I thought you'd gone for good."

"I told the Chaotix—"

"That bee said you'd gone to try and wipe out Robotnik on your own and that you probably weren't going to survive."

"He told you _what_?" Knuckles looked around. "_Charmy_!" There was no response and the echidna scowled. "When I get my hands on that no-good, amoeba-brained, flower f—!" Knuckles caught sight of Tails' attentive expression and hastily changed what he'd been about to say— "friendly ball of fuzz...!" He let the sentence trail off threateningly and stalked through into the cave that served the Chaotix as a relaxation area, Tails jogging next to and around him, pelting him with questions.

"Well? What happened? What'd you see? When are we going? How we gonna take Robotnik down?"

"_Shut up_!" Knuckles roared, bringing one arm around to backhand the fox squarely across the jaw, sending him flying. Collapsing onto the couch, he dropped his head into his hands and snarled in frustration, a guttural sound torn apart by anguish. How? _How_ could he have got it so wrong about Sonic?

For a long time, Tails lay where Knuckles had knocked him, shaking all over. He'd never, _never_ been struck in anger like that before. Even when Knuckles had been doing his utmost to dispose of Sonic and Tails, believing them to be after the Master Emerald, he'd never laid a finger on Tails. The fox didn't think he'd ever seen the echidna so enraged before, and certainly not with him.

Eventually, after long minutes had gone past without another word or move from Knuckles, Tails pulled himself shakily to his feet and padded over to sit down next to him, wanting but not quite daring to make physical contact.

"Knuckles?"

The look Knuckles turned on him was so pained and haggard that Tails recoiled, afraid that the echidna was going to strike him again. Knuckles stared for a few minutes, then memory appeared to nudge him as he caught sight of Tails' gently swelling face and he shook his head slowly.

"Oh hell, kid, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. C'mere." For the first time since they'd been travelling together, Knuckles pulled Tails into a rough hug, feeling the kid's body quivering against him.

Tails shifted away enough to look up at the echidna, eyes so huge they seemed to fill his entire face. He wasn't crying (although there was an unnatural brightness in his eyes that the echidna tactfully refrained from mentioning) but it was obvious this was due to pure determination.

"Knux, what'd I do?"

Knuckles shook his head again. "You didn't do anything, kid."

"Then why'd you hit me?" When it seemed Knuckles wasn't going to lash out again, Tails ventured another question. "What'd you see in Robotnik's place?"

Knuckles shot him a look. "What makes you think I saw anything?"

Tails snorted. "Puh-leeze. I may be a kid but I'm not dumb. You saw something that freaked you out big time. Some kind of secret weapon?"

"No," Knuckles said tersely, although he supposed that the sight of Sonic as he was could well destroy Tails. "Nothing like that. It was...I saw some of Robotnik's prisoners, that's all."

"Anyone you know?"

_Hell yeah._ "Kinda." Knuckles winced; he hated having to lie or even conceal part of the truth.

"Knux?" Tails pushed himself away from the echidna and looked up at him. "Knux, who'd you see?"

Knuckles opened his mouth, then shut it again.

"You wanna tell him," Espio said from somewhere in the direction of the door, "or shall I?"

"No! Get out!"

"Fine." There was no obvious movement, but something told Knuckles that the chameleon was no longer there.

"Knux?" Seriously worried now, Tails tugged on the echidna's arm. "What's going on?"

Knuckles took a long, deep breath. It was better for the kid to hear it from him now than for him to come face to face with Sonic.

"Tails...maybe you better sit down."

"Uh." Tails frowned up at him quizzically. "I am sitting down."

"Huh? Oh yeah. Right." Knuckles inhaled. "Tails. Tails, I...it's Sonic."

Tails sucked in his breath.

"What about Sonic?"

Knuckles turned his head away.

"He's there. In Robotnik's prison. Alive."

Tails slipped off the couch and backed away, shaking his head from side to side.

"That's not funny, Knuckles!"

"Of course it's not funny. It's not supposed to be funny."

"You're just—you said...no. _No_." Tails stared at him, still shaking his head. "You're crazy."

"Am I?" Knuckles threw the sneakers onto the floor between them and Tails' eyes opened so wide they seemed to fill his whole face.

"You...but you said he was dead."

"I was wrong." Knuckles massaged his forehead tiredly. It had taken a hell of a lot of work to convince Tails that Sonic had died in that fall, and now he could foresee even more work to convince him of the opposite. "I was wrong. I screwed up, okay? I screwed up big time. Sonic's alive."

Tails hesitated.

"You wouldn't kid about this, right? Right?"

"Not in a million years."

"He's okay? Really okay?"

Knuckles took another deep breath.

"I didn't say he was okay, Tails. I said he was _alive, _and a prisoner."

The fox bounded into the air and stayed there, hovering on an eye level with the echidna.

"We gotta get him out! He'd do the same for either of us!"

_Correction; would have done the same,_ Knuckles thought grimly. He didn't know but he had a nasty suspicion that the current Sonic would leave them to their own devices.

"It's not gonna be that simple, kid," he said aloud. "Sonic's...hurt. Badly hurt."

Tails came back down with a bump.

"You're not working up to telling me he's dead after all, are you?"

"No, he's alive, and I think he'll stay that way for a long time if Robotnik has anything to do with it. But Tails, he's...he won't be able to run out. He doesn't have any feet."

Tails sat down hard, eyes so huge they seemed to fill his entire face.

"_What_?"

"He's not a pretty sight. He can't walk, he definitely can't run and if there's a part of him Robotnik hasn't maimed in some way short of his eyes I don't know what it is." Knuckles hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. "And he's...changed," he added finally. "He's not the Sonic you remember. He's given up."

Tails shook his head violently.

"Sonic would _never_ give up! It's just some trick to fool Robotnik."

Knuckles opened his mouth, then closed it again. That was an interpretation that genuinely hadn't occurred to him, but he didn't believe it for one minute. You couldn't fake the dead expression he'd seen in Sonic's eyes.

"No, kid. He's not faking it. He...if you'd seen him, you'd know."

Tails stared hard at the echidna.

"How do I know this isn't some trick?"

"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me, Tails? Don't answer that." Knuckles took a deep breath. "I'm not telling you this to trick you, or to try and convince you not to help Sonic—"

"As if you could!"

"—I'm telling you to try and prepare you for what you're gonna find. Because I swear blind, swear by the Master Emerald, that the Sonic in that fortress is not the same Sonic as the one that fell off the rail."

"Yes, and whose fault's _that_?"

Knuckles jerked his hand out of Tails' grasp with an angry look. "Don't start that again, Tails! It's nobody's _fault_. It's like if Sonic went into the sea and got eaten by a shark. Who would you blame then?"

"Depends on who chased him in!" Tails said, glowering at Knuckles, who sighed.

"I get it. It's Let's-Blame-The-Echidna-For-Everything Day again, huh? You want to play games like this, play 'em on your own. Only don't say I didn't warn you when you come face to face with him."

"You should've thought of this, Knuckles! You saw that robot try to zap me away! You should've thought that maybe Robotnik sent it to the canyons in case Sonic blasted himself out that big cannon and ground backwards to make fun of you and went off the edge of the rail and fell close enough for the robot to zap him!"

"Oh yes. How incredibly short-sighted of me." Knuckles shook his head. "Screw this. When you're ready to talk about this calmly and rationally, then I'll listen."

"You just told me Sonic's alive after convincing me he was dead and you expect me to be calm and rational?" Tails said stridently.

"I expect you to try and hold it together! I managed."

"Oh sure," Tails muttered. "Tell that to my aching jaw."

Knuckles flinched as though the fox's words were physically painful.

"You know I didn't mean to do that, Tails," he said quietly.

"All I know is that all this time Sonic's been alive and we coulda helped him and I _was_ right about him not dying and my head hurts and you went to spy on Robotnik and left me here with a bunch of raving lunatics and I thought you'd abandoned me and...and I should've looked harder for him, Knuckles." Whatever energy had been fuelling Tails during this tirade abruptly left him and the fox sat down hard on the floor, hugging his knees and staring at nothing.

Knuckles swore mentally. This was all he needed, for Tails to revert to the whole fetal thing again. He knelt down next to the fox – something in him said he should hug the kid again, try and coax him out of his funk, but he found he couldn't bring himself to do it – and dropped a hand on his shoulder.

"Tails..."

Tails twisted around and buried his face in Knuckles' chest, causing the startled echidna to jerk away instinctively. Hell, but it creeped him out when the kid did that! Who'd died and made _him _the brother-figure, anyway?

Well...initially Sonic, but that wasn't the point!

Knuckles cleared his throat and shifted, hoping that Tails would take the hint. He didn't. Damn!

Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime to the echidna but which was in reality only a few seconds, Tails backed away to grab the echidna's hand, which wasn't much of an improvement as far as Knuckles was concerned.

"C'mon." He tugged hard, to no avail – Tails would probably dislocate his own shoulders before managing to budge Knuckles an inch if the echidna decided he didn't want to move – gave up and seized the other hand in the hopes that this one might be more cooperative. It wasn't, and Tails stopped yanking long enough to glare at Knuckles. "Knux, _c'mon_!"

"Come on where?" Knuckles yielded enough to let Tails haul him upright before putting on the brakes again. Giving up, the fox fixed him with a look that was half determined, half appealing.

"Where d'you think? If Sonic really is in there, we gotta get him out!"

"He won't thank you for it," Knuckles warned.

"Who cares? He didn't thank me when I saved him back in Bridge Zone either. Knux, if you don't move right now I'm gonna go without you."

"Alright. Fine. I'm moving." Knuckles stepped away from Tails. "I'm moving. See?"

Tails jammed paws on hips and scowled, while wondering for the first time if Knuckles actually did have a sense of humour.

"Very funny, Knucklehead! Now quit circling like a dizzy bug and move to the _door_!"

Knuckles stopped moving with a sigh and sat down on the couch instead.

"Tails, we should wait until Robotnik's guard is down." It sounded lame even to him.

"His _guard_?" Tails all but shrieked at him. "Knuckles, he's a paranoid megalomaniac bent on taking over the world who thinks everyone else is equally bent on killing him! When exactly do you expect this guard of his to be down?"

"Alright. Alright." Knuckles held up his hands. "Bad idea. I admit it. But I still say that he's more likely to expect another attack now that he knows we know Sonic's in there."

Tails took off, namesakes whirring so frantically in random directions that Knuckles was amazed they didn't get tangled up.

"Suppose Robotnik decides to kill Sonic? Suppose he decides to move? Suppose he followed you back and his bots are outside the door and about to attack right now?"

"And suppose _you_ stop beating your tails like a caffeinated beaver having a panic attack and we actually _think_ about this?" Knuckles interjected sharply.

"_Sonic_ never thought about anything!"

"Yeah, I _know_ Sonic doesn't think, Tails, and that goes a long way towards explaining our current situation! But I still say it's pushing our luck to go back not three hours after I've only just got out."

"And tomorrow you'll say the same thing. Knux, maybe Robotnik _is_ gonna kill him. Maybe he doesn't wanna take the chance that you're gonna rescue him."

"No, he wants Sonic kept alive," Knuckles said, although Tails' words had sparked off a doubt in his mind. Robotnik was more than capable of such a thing, and he'd had a couple months' worth of fun out of Sonic, after all. "But it's a two hour journey, and you look pretty tired."

"I'm fine!" Tails protested. "See?" In an effort to prove how tired he wasn't, he started circling at top speed until Knuckles reached up and fielded him neatly out of the air.

"Yeah, alright kid, you've made your point. Now cut it out; you're making me nauseous."

Tails stopped wriggling in the echidna's hold and folded his arms, glaring.

"We're gonna get Sonic out, and if you back out of your promise, I'll go on my own."

"If you don't start acting sensibly, you're damn straight you'll go on your own," Knuckles said candidly. "If – just _if_, mind – if I agreed to this crackpot scheme of yours—"

"You did agree!"

"I said I'd help you take Robotnik down, and I will. But if we're going to do this damn crazy thing, let's not do it this damn crazy way." Knuckles considered. "If I put you down, do you promise not to race off on a suicide mission the instant your feet touch the floor?"

Tails considered his options, then seemed to realise that Knuckles wouldn't take no for an answer; he nodded and Knuckles lowered him gently to the ground.

"We gotta go though," Tails said stubbornly, after Knuckles didn't show any signs of racing out to wreak vengeance on Robotnik. "We gotta take him down and fast, before he does something worse to Sonic."

"I doubt he could do anything worse to Sonic than what he's already done."

"All the more reason to get him! Knuckles, if we don't go now it might be too late! We have to get rid of Robotnik once and for all and destroy his base and smash his bots and—"

Knuckles sighed and scooped the fox up again.

"Any chance you're gonna calm down in the near future?" he said, not very hopefully.

"Only when you tell me we're going," Tails said stubbornly, twisting around in an effort to free himself and when this didn't work—

"Don't even _think_ about it!" Knuckles said sharply, noticing Tails' jaws hovering close to the echidna's arm.

Tails planted both arms on his hips and glowered.

"Fine! But we're gonna go out there, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna go out there. Only not right now."

"Yes, now!" With a superhuman effort, Tails wrenched out of the echidna's grasp, the slight flaw in this plan only becoming apparent when he crashed to the ground.

"No!" Knuckles seized him again by the wrists, not painfully, but tightly enough to get the fox's undivided attention. "Tonight."

Tails, who had looked all set to rush out the door again, hesitated.

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

**Okay, another chapter done! If you read, please review :D**


	16. Reunion

**Kj: Well, all shall happen (at least the all you mentioned) in this chapter ;)**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: (blushes) Okay, I'll try :)**

**FriedBrickWall: Erm...thanks, I think :S (_Knuckles: You've done it now; seems this reviewer's completely and utterly speechless._) Yes, Knux, but speechless good or speechless bad? (_Knuckles: Given how often they insult and threaten me, I'd say it can only be good!_)**

**Treasurehunter: (blushes again) Thanks for the review; I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**Saffra: (grins) Yeah...it was about time Knux unbent a little :P**

**Matri90: Thanks :)**

**Samantha27: Jeez, for some reason Fanfiction didn't send me an alert about your review (shakes head) On the other hand, they also erased the total number of hits to all my fics as well; this is not my day :( Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed Tails' reaction ;) It seemed the most likely way for him to react. Sonic and Tails' reunion...yeah, you'll have to read on to find out :P**

_Guardian's Log no. 11467_

_Tails freaked out big time when I broke the news to him that Sonic was still alive. I guess I can't exactly blame him; I reacted much the same way when I came face to face with the guy._

_Good news: he's accepted it._

_Bad news: he's determined to go in and rescue Sonic, so we're leaving tonight. I don't want to think about what's going to happen when he comes face to face with his hero again, not least because I have a nasty suspicion that whatever happens will be blamed on me; Tails is in one of his It's-All-Knuckles'-Fault moods again._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_It's all Knuckles' fault. I tried to tell him Sonic was still alive, that a fall like that couldn't have killed him, but he wouldn't believe me. Ha! Well, who's laughing now, Knucklehead?_

_Actually, not me. I'm so...I don't know what I am. I'd started getting used to the idea that Sonic was really gone for good, that I'd never see him again, and then Knux springs that on me. Part of me wants to believe it and the other part of me doesn't think it can possibly be true, that Knuckles is playing some mean trick on me._

_I was worried sick when I woke up and he wasn't there. I didn't mean to hug him like that; it just...I was too relieved to see him again. I know it makes him uncomfortable so I try not to do it too much._

_But even if he doesn't like it, he didn't have to hit me! My head still hurts, thanks to him! He could've just stuck with pushing me away! And then he went and hugged me a few minutes later, just after almost bashing my brains in! Sometimes I think he acts weird and unpredictable just to bug me._

_--Tails_

"How much further?" Tails asked in a stage whisper. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"You can talk normally, kid; we're well out of earshot. And to answer your question, about another ten minutes. You'll see it once we're over this ridge."

Tails subsided, edging closer to the echidna who, for once, didn't object. If it helped the kid go on, do what had to be done, then fine. Hell, Knuckles was almost wishing that he himself had someone he could edge closer to.

They clambered over the ridge in question – Tails hadn't flown since...since...actually, now that Knuckles thought about it, Tails hadn't flown seriously since Sonic's fall – and Knuckles felt every muscle in both his and Tails' respective bodies freeze simultaneously.

Robotnik's fortress was not just huge, it was positively grandiose, bristling with weapons and sensors. Knuckles hadn't been in much of a position to appreciate it before; Omega had insisted on the echidna's playing the part of a prisoner right up until he was actually inside, and Knuckles had been resigned to staring at the ground.

Tails shot a sidelong glance at Knuckles.

"Knux?"

"Hm?"

"Do you...do echidnas ever get scared?"

"No."

Tails' shoulders slumped slightly, but he rallied to the challenge.

"Good! Me neither!"

There was a short pause.

"We may sometimes feel..._cautious_ about certain things," Knuckles went on, sounding as though he was choosing his words with the utmost care, "but not scared."

"Ah." Tails looked from the echidna to the fortress and back to the echidna again. "You feeling cautious now?"

Knuckles never took his eyes off the black structure as he replied, "Now? Yeah. I think it's safe to say that just now, I'm feeling very cautious."

"You know that prison you told me about?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. What about it?"

"How're we gonna get inside if you couldn't punch through the glass?"

The echidna smirked. "Don't worry about that. I got it sorted."

"Sorted how?"

"While you were leaping and bounding around the place like a demented flea, I slipped the Chaotix a little backhander to send Omega and Espio in to, ah, _prepare_ things."

Tails shot him a look.

"What do you mean, prepare things? What things?"

"Explosives," Knuckles said simply. "We get down there, push the button and stand well back."

Tails stared.

"Oh, sure, and watch Sonic's brains and insides get splattered all over the walls!"

"See? A plan with no drawbacks."

"Knuckles!"

"Sorry, kid. Couldn't resist. And like I said, the explosives are contained; the blast itself is powerful enough to shatter the glass but it radiates inward, not out. Sonic'll be fine. Or to put it more accurately, the bomb won't hurt him."

Tails lay down on his stomach, folding his arms and resting his jaw on them as he stared at the fortress.

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah. The CDA are very, very good at what they do. Trust me; the only thing damaged is gonna be the chamber. Why d'you think I wanted to wait until tonight? I had to give 'em time to get this ready."

Tails turned to stare at Knuckles.

"You..."

"Yeah." When Tails continued to stare, the echidna added, "I wasn't about to wander back in there unprepared, kid." In a rare moment of levity, Knuckles grinned reassuringly at Tails. "We'll make it, you'll see. It'll work out okay."

He wished someone would grin reassuringly at _him_, tell him the same thing. The truth was, he didn't think they had any more chance of making it than they had before, didn't have a chance of doing anything, in fact, besides royally pissing off Robotnik.

"Knux?"

"Yeah?"

Tails floundered slightly, trying to find a way of expressing what he wanted to say. Eventually he settled for, "You know what you told me about Sonic? About...about his feet? It's true, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's true."

"Well...if Robotnik...if we screw it up and Robotnik's gonna take us prisoner, you won't let him chop my tails off, will you? You won't let that happen, right? Right?"

Knuckles stared openly at him, understanding with terrible clarity what the fox was asking him to do.

"Tails, you're eight years old!" It was ridiculously inane, but for some reason it was all he could think of to say.

"Robotnik's not gonna care about that though, right?" Tails stared at Knuckles and the echidna realised for the first time how scared the kid was.

Fair enough. If it wasn't for echidna pride, Knuckles himself would be crapping hot bricks and throwing them out the window.

"Knux, you gotta promise me."

"You...you're _seriously_ asking me to—" When Tails nodded mutely, Knuckles shook his head in disbelief. "Alright. I'll say it, because someone has to and I'm the only one around. We don't have to do this now. If you want to wait a week or two, get a lot more people behind us—"

Tails was already shaking his head.

"Uh uh! We gotta do this now, before Robotnik finishes Sonic completely!"

_He's already had a damn good try_, Knuckles thought grimly, but didn't say.

"'Sides, Sonic wouldn't give up, so he wouldn't want us to either."

Tails was wrong on both counts, Knuckles knew. He had a nasty feeling that Sonic as he was now would not only have given up, he wouldn't even have attempted it.

He sighed and tried once more to explain.

"Tails, I told you...the Sonic you'll meet in there isn't the Sonic you remember. He's changed. And not for the better," the echidna couldn't resist adding.

"And I told _you_, Knuckles; it's gotta be a ploy to trick Robotnik!"

Knuckles sighed. It didn't seem worth arguing over; he'd already learned that Tails could be exceptionally stubborn when it came to bad news.

"For both our sakes, kid, you better be right," he told Tails wearily, although he knew better.

"I am right," Tails said, unmistakable fervour in his voice. "Like I said, we gotta do this _now_!" He hesitated. "Uh. But it's okay if you don't wanna come, Knux; I don't mind if you wanna go back to your friends."

"That bite and assorted poundings you gave me didn't make me quit, Tails, and neither will asking nicely. I swore by the Master Emerald, remember?" Knuckles looked up at the fortress, then back at Tails. "We're not gonna get a better chance. Or at least, if we stick around, we might get hit by something."

"Promise me, Knux. You gotta promise me you'll...you'll sort me out!"

Knuckles took a long, deep breath, then regarded Tails through steady eyes.

"If we wind up in _that_ situation, kid, I'll sort us both out. If I can."

Tails stared at Knuckles, clearly unsure whether to believe him or not.

"You promise?" he said again.

_Emeralds protect me, he's only a kid_, Knuckles thought wretchedly. Aloud, feeling like the worst kind of coward, he said, "I promise. Now let's go."

The two of them made their slow and silent way forward, pausing every so often to hide behind rocks in an effort that probably made no difference whatsoever, but which nonetheless made them feel a lot better.

Getting in was almost easier than it had been before; there were no guards posted and the huge guns that pointed threateningly at the entrance were dull and unmoving.

"I don't like it," Knuckles observed edgily, as he and Tails made their way to the switch the echidna had encountered previously. "It's too quiet."

"Maybe Robotnik moved."

Knuckles shook his head. "No. He's not the kind of guy who ups and moves fortresses just because an echidna and a two-tailed fox are on the warpath. Hit the switch."

Tails eyed it warily.

"What's it do?"

"You'll see. Just keep your tails ready. I'll stay on the ground and watch out for robots."

"Well, okay, I..." Tails broke off. "What do you mean, you'll stay on the ground?"

Knuckles cursed his slip – echidnas really weren't good at anything underhanded – then shrugged and said, "Figure of speech."

"I don't like that look in your eyes, Knucklehead."

"What look?" Knuckles said innocently.

"Okay, and I _really_ don't like _that_ one!"

The echidna rolled his eyes. So much for that idea.

"Trust me! I'd never do anything to hurt you, Tails, you know that."

"Well...okay." Reaching out, Tails pushed the switch and yelped in surprise as he rose through the air to land squarely on his head. Getting to his feet, he glowered at Knuckles, who had learned from his earlier experiences and followed him up somewhat more gracefully.

"That was a dirty trick, Knucklehead!"

"We're in a dirty place, Tails. Come on. Sonic's this way."

Whatever retort Tails had been about to make was eclipsed by the fox's desire to find and rescue Sonic and he shut his mouth again, his thoughts unspoken as they made their way to the prison.

"Where's Sonic?"

"Up there." The echidna nodded to the containment chamber, then grabbed Tails as the fox started towards it. "Tails, Sonic's—"

"You think he's changed, yeah, I know. Let go of me, Knuckles!"

"I _know_ he's changed. Psychological damage notwithstanding, he's in the worst physical shape I've ever seen anyone in in my life. Be ready for that. I don't think he'd like it if you flinched or looked shocked or anything like that." Actually, Knuckles didn't think Sonic was going to like seeing Tails at all, but it seemed there was nothing he could do about that.

"Okay, fine, no shrieking, got it. Now let _go_!"

Knuckles obliged, the resulting physical laws shooting Tails forward several feet before he managed to right himself opposite the containment chamber.

The echidna could pinpoint the exact second when Tails recognised Sonic; the fox's eyes widened and he started to quiver very slightly, barely even noticing when Knuckles came up next to him.

"I tried to warn you, kid," he said very quietly. He himself hadn't forgotten Sonic's state – and he didn't think he ever would – but the sight of the hedgehog's battered and bloody form still sickened him. Sonic had his eyes closed, either asleep, unconscious or faking.

"How do we blow this thing?" Tails demanded, looking around for the explosives Knuckles claimed were planted.

A slight smile appeared on the echidna's face as he pulled out a remote that Espio had given him.

"Like this." Grabbing hold of Tails and pulling him out the way, he pressed a couple of buttons and ducked behind a crate.

The explosion rocked the entire fortress, shattering the containment chamber and jerking Sonic into wakefulness. He blinked around, not really focusing, then caught sight of the pair.

"Tails?" he said groggily.

"_Sonic!_"

Sonic stared hard at Knuckles.

"You shouldn't have brought him, Knuckles," he said coldly.

"He brought himself."

Tails scrabbled over the rubble, using debris, computer workstations and Knuckles for a foothold, then paused in front of Sonic and looked him up and down.

"Sonic, are you okay?"

The hedgehog shot a killing look at Knuckles.

"Is he taking the piss?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Sonic?" Knuckles said coolly.

"Did Robotnik _really_ cripple you?" Tails asked, then squirmed uncomfortably as Sonic shifted the look onto him.

"What do you _think_?"

Tails looked at Knuckles for help. The expression of hurt bewilderment on his face was so vivid and so pronounced that even the echidna felt sorry for him.

"We're getting you out of here, Sonic," he said.

"I understand the kid not being able to grasp this idea, Knuckles, since he wasn't with you last time we discussed this, but what part of _get out_ was too complicated for you?"

"Funny," Knuckles shot back, "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Read my lips, echidna; _there is no damn point anymore_. Robotnik's _won_. You were crazy to think you could ever storm this place. Get out, go back to Angel Island. That won't save you either, but it'll probably take Robotnik a little longer to get around to destroying it. Get out and take the kid with you."

Tails stared up at Sonic, who met his gaze stonily.

"What are you waiting for? I told you to get out, kid. Stick with the echidna; he'll watch out for you."

"But Sonic, I...I thought we'd—"

"You thought wrong, then. It's over. Sorry you came all this way for nothing."

"Sonic, I...I..." Tails took half a step back, eyes full and suspiciously bright, then turned a quivering look on Knuckles. "Knux?"

"Sonic, snap out of it!" Knuckles said sharply. He didn't like the kid's expression; nobody deserved to be hurt that badly, least of all Tails.

Sonic laughed, a hollow sound.

"I told you, Knuckles, I already have."

"Just because you screwed up is no reason to take it out on poor Tails! What did that kid ever do to you except try and help?" Admittedly that in itself could be grounds enough to want to avoid him; the incidents in the cave had taught Knuckles this lesson all too well. Not all of Tails' inventions worked perfectly first time around. But that was still no excuse for Sonic's attitude!

"I never asked for his help," Sonic said flatly. "Though based on that, if I didn't know you to be an arrogant, cold-hearted prick, Knuckles, I'd almost say you _liked_ the furball."

"The furball has a _name_, Sonic."

"So what?"

"'Sokay," Tails mumbled. "Honest, Knux, I don't mind—"

"No, well, I do!" Knuckles stared hard at Sonic. "You would have done anything for Tails, once upon a time."

"Yeah," Tails added suddenly. Reaching out, he grabbed Sonic's hand. "Remember? You were my big brother."

The hedgehog curled his lip scornfully and pulled out of Tails' grasp. Whether that was deliberate or whether he was doing it because the fox's hold had exacerbated one or more of his extensive injuries, Knuckles didn't know, and looking at the stricken expression on Tails' face, found he didn't much care either.

"Oh, grow up." The contempt in Sonic's voice and face was so pronounced that Tails fell back a pace or two, staring at him wide-eyed. "We were kids playing kids' games, that's all. No more, no less. You're still a little kid; this stupid dream of crushing Robotnik just proves that."

Tails sucked in his breath sharply. His expression couldn't have been more shocked or hurt if Sonic had slapped him.

"Little kid or not," Knuckles told Sonic icily, "I for one would trust him with my life." _Yeah_, he thought, surprised at the realisation. _I really would._

"Aw...Knux..." Trying not to appear too pleased by the echidna's flat declaration, Tails scuffed a toe along the ground, smiling sheepishly.

Sonic's lips curved upwards in a sneer.

"Well, that's pretty damn stupid of you, Knuckles. After all, I trusted the kid with _my_ life and look what happened to me."

"That's enough, Sonic!" Knuckles said, the sharpness of his tone covering up the danger underneath. "What happened to you wasn't Tails' fault, and you _know_ it."

Sonic snorted. "Oh, I'm not blaming him for that rail not being there. I'm not unreasonable, Knuckles—"

"Funny," Knuckles cut across, "because it sure seems that way to me."

Sonic continued, ignoring him. "All I _know_, as you put it, is that one minute I'm grinding and the next I'm falling through the air. Hey, no problem, I think to myself. Tails will save me, he's my best buddy, my _little brother_." He spat the words, coating them in poison before dropping them into the hot, angry silence. "Tails can fly. He'll get me out of this. Only he didn't, did he, Tails?"

Two small hands gripped one of Knuckles' tightly. The echidna let it happen. The last thing Tails needed was to feel that Knuckles was turning his back on him as well.

"And when I look up – still falling, of course," Sonic added, "what do I see but Tails and Knuckles grinding happily on into the station. What's wrong, kid? Got bored trying to keep up with me and decided to move onto someone not quite so fast?"

"I...Sonic, I..." Tails shook his head, crowding next to Knuckles for whatever meagre comfort and sympathy he could glean from the echidna's bulk. He'd been prepared for sadness from Sonic, for humiliation and irritation as a direct result, but not this all-out, no-holds-barred personal attack. "I didn't _mean_ not to catch you. Honest. Right Knuckles?" He turned a pleading stare on the echidna.

"It's true," Knuckles informed Sonic in tones of iron control. "He spent nearly a full week looking for you."

"Yeah? Pity he wasn't so keen on the idea of catching me. I don't suppose it occurred to either of you that after all that time, I would have hit the bottom?" Sonic added with delicate sarcasm.

"Sonic..." Tails began, then broke off, at a loss for what to say.

"What?" Sonic sneered. "Sonic this, Sonic that." He smiled coldly, almost cruelly. "D'you _want_ something, kid?"

"We gotta get you out of here."

The hedgehog closed his eyes irritably. "Don't _you _start. You can't hope to help me now."

"We gotta try, though! You once said you'd never give up, no matter what."

"Kids' games," Sonic said again, not opening his eyes. "When you're not so naïve, kid, you'll realise that for yourself."

"And what about me, Sonic?" Knuckles said, his voice now dangerously quiet. "You think _I'm_ naïve?"

"Oh no, not at all." Sonic pretended to consider, then added, "Been fighting any more Master Emerald thieves lately?"

Knuckles stiffened. "Say that again?"

"If it pisses you off enough to put me out of this, Knuckles, I'd be glad to." Sonic cleared his throat. "Been fighting any more Master Emerald thieves lately?"

"As it happens, no. I've been too damn busy looking after someone's little brother and trying to think of a way to break you out!"

"Yeah?" Sonic snorted. "Well, you've been wasting your time then."

Tails released Knuckles' hand and came to stand in front of him, fixing him with a beseeching stare.

"You don't really mean that, Sonic."

The hedgehog's jade eyes snapped open again to stare at him so fiercely that Tails pulled away, almost afraid.

"Don't tell me what I do and don't mean, kid. Grow up, get a life and stop hanging around in other people's the whole time. Then maybe you'll be in a position to criticise me. But I sincerely doubt it," he added, just loud enough for Tails to hear.

The fox's reaction astonished even Knuckles; Tails continued staring at Sonic for a full ten seconds, then abruptly brought one hand across in a blow that knocked the hedgehog clear into the opposite wall.

"You are a pathetic loser who doesn't even deserve to die," he informed Sonic, his voice shaking. "I hope Robotnik keeps you alive down here for a very, very long time."

"Tails," Knuckles reprimanded him, but without any real severity.

"Well, I do! If Robotnik chopped off my tails and tortured me as much as he could, I'd still never give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd won! And I wouldn't treat other people like dirt either!" Tails turned away from Sonic and kicked debris back into his face, then marched over to Knuckles. "C'mon Knux, let's get out of here. You were right; he's changed. I don't want _that_ Sonic anywhere near me. I wish we'd never come." Pausing in the doorway, Tails turned to Sonic to deliver a parting shot. "I thought you were a hero, a good guy, but you're not! You're right; we did come all this way for nothing. Because that's exactly what you are, Sonic; _nothing_! You're just a weak nobody, a pathetic coward and you make me sick! I never wanna see you again!" He paused. "I know I said that in the Casino Zones too, but this time I _mean_ it!" Turning, he raced out, whirring his tails for an extra turn of speed, leaving Knuckles and Sonic alone.

There was a long, horrible silence. Knuckles was looking at Sonic with an expression of both contempt and cold loathing.

"You utter, utter bastard." He spoke the words intensely, with an icy fire and conviction that was no way diminished by the low tone of his voice. "I'd match the blow the kid gave you if I didn't think it'd put you out of your misery too damn fast. There was no need to say all those things to him."

Sonic stared dully at him. Blood trickled from a split lip, but he was past feeling such trivialities.

"You do care for that kid. I thought you did."

"_That kid_," Knuckles mimicked the hedgehog's voice bitterly, "is worth fifty of you, Sonic."

"Then go find those other forty-nine of me. One of 'em's bound to keep him happy."

"You didn't tell me all this last time I was here."

"Believe it or not, Knuckles, last time you were here I was almost as stunned to see you as you were to see me. You're not a great one for helping people and self-sacrifice, and we both know you don't give a damn about what Robotnik does just so long as he doesn't do it to your oh-so-precious island. You should've just sent Tails on his way and gone on home."

"His _way_?" Knuckles echoed scathingly. "And exactly which _way_ would that have been, Sonic? You were all he had."

"Got you now, hasn't he?"

"He damn well has, and unlike you, I'm not gonna abandon him first chance I get!"

"_Abandon_ him?" Sonic stared hard at Knuckles. "Who failed to catch who here?"

"He needs you, Sonic."

"Yeah, and _I_ need some kind person to give me a spare pair of feet, and _you_ need to get back to Angel Island. Doesn't look like any of us are going to get what we want, huh?"

"I'll get back," Knuckles told him tightly. He couldn't ever remember being this angry. "I'll get back to the Master Emerald, Sonic, and I'll take that poor kid with me!"

"What a good idea. Why don't you start right now? The exit's that way." Sonic lay back, wincing and closed his eyes.

"You know something?" Knuckles growled. "I'm with Tails on this one. You deserve to die down here."

"So I keep hearing, but nobody seems to have the courage to make good on their threat yet."

"Who said anything about it being a threat, Sonic? Usually I refuse to give Robotnik what he wants on general principles, but in this case I'll make an exception. He wants to play with you himself before putting you out of it? He's welcome to you." Spinning on his heel, Knuckles stalked away in search of Tails.

He found him among the remains of a robot that hadn't been destroyed so much as annihilated. Tails was in the middle of the wreckage, still pounding on any piece larger than a grape.

"Tails. Tails!" Knuckles caught hold of the fox around the waist and dragged him away. "Leave it. It won't help."

Tails twisted around, trying to break free, but Knuckles refused to let go.

"It won't help," he repeated immovably. "Tails, c'mon. You're better than this."

Deprived of his chosen target, Tails rammed his fists against any part of the echidna's body he could reach. By the time he'd run out of energy – which was mercifully soon – Knuckles was bruised, aching and tired, but his grip hadn't lessened.

"You were right, Knux," Tails muttered, his voice somewhat muffled; at some point, he'd buried his face in the echidna's torso. "You were right all along. Sonic hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Knuckles said honestly. What he'd seen in Sonic's face had been almost worse than hate; the hedgehog was past feeling anything at all. "He's just...all mixed up inside."

Tails snorted.

"Yeah. Nice try. I just remember when I was a kid—"

"_Was_?" the echidna couldn't resist echoing, smirking slightly.

"You know what I mean! When I was a _younger_ kid," Tails added, glaring at Knuckles, "when I was a _younger_ kid, I got picked on all the time 'cause I like to build stuff. If I ever tried talking to one of the other kids, they'd just _look_ at me as though I was a complete stranger and not an important one either."

"Is this going somewhere, Tails?" Knuckles asked. "Because in case you hadn't noticed, this isn't a good place to go rambling down Memory Lane!"

"That's how Sonic looked at me back there. Like I wasn't even worth talking to. But he was the one who helped me out as well back then. Maybe you're right, Knux. Maybe he is just a little mixed up."

_I don't think he's the only one_, Knuckles thought, eyeing the fox resignedly. The idea of him comforting Tails was strange enough, but comforting Tails in the middle of his enemy's stronghold...that was _insane_!

"I mean, if we can get him out and cheer him up, he'll be just the same as before, right?"

Knuckles met the fox's gaze and held it, not unsympathetically.

"Tails, he'll never be the same as before, not after what's happened. He may start to want to live again, yeah, that's entirely possible, but you can't just pretend that the fall never happened."

"Knux, what he said...when I said he was like my big brother and he said—"

"He didn't mean the things he said, Tails."

"Why'd he say them, then?"

Knuckles floundered. How the hell did you explain the effects of torture on the mind to a kid like Tails? Frantically he cast about for an analogy and his mind hit the Casino Zones.

"You remember when you wrote that stuff about Sonic and me in that note you left for us?"

Tails winced.

"Knux, I didn't _mean_ all that stuff I said. Least, I did, but I...well, I sort of did, but—"

"You meant it at the time." Knuckles' mind raced, trying to put things in order. "It's...kinda like that. Sonic means it now, but if we get him out of here and he recovers, he'll probably feel as badly about his actions as you do about yours back in Casino Night Zone." He hesitated. "Uh. Does that make any kind of sense?" _Please, please let him say yes._

"I...guess so."

_Close enough._ "Good. Now let's get out before it's too late."

"Knux?"

"What?" Knuckles said edgily. Was it his imagination, or had he heard something from down the corridor.

Tails swallowed once or twice before continuing bravely, "Is what Sonic said true? Was it my fault he...you know."

Knuckles turned from scanning the corridor to see the pain and guilt written on Tails' face, and he softened.

_Damn you, Sonic. Damn you all the way to hell._

"No, Tails, it wasn't your fault. You can't start thinking like that."

"He's right, though. I just kept on going and going and by then I was too far ahead to know what had happened, and you said he didn't scream. He didn't, right?"

"No. No, he didn't scream."

"You wouldn't just say that to stop me getting upset?"

"I would, as it happens, but I don't have to here." Seeing Tails still looked uncertain, Knuckles dropped to one knee in front of him, putting him on an eye-level with the fox. "_Listen_ to me, Tails. I've said it countless times before and I'll keep on saying it until you believe me; Sonic's fall was not your fault. We can talk about this all you want back in the cave, but let's not do it here, okay?"

"Sonic—"

"I'll get the CDA to sort something out. Omega or Espio could get him out without arousing suspicion. But we have got to get _out_ of here before—"

The hum of machinery cut him off and Knuckles whirled rapidly, coming face to face with what looked like an entire army of bots, more than he could handle. Hell, more than five or six of himself could handle.

Tails edged back, pressing closer to the echidna.

"Sonic was right, Knux. It was crazy to think we could just storm this place. We never had a chance really, did we?"

Knuckles hesitated. That was a little too reminiscent of Sonic's attitude for him to be entirely comfortable with it.

_Maybe, but it's true. I'm not going to die lying._

"No," he said aloud. "Not really."

Tails shifted away from the nearest bot, determined not to appear weak by seeking security with Knuckles but unable to help himself.

"Knux? Knux, remember what you promised?" Tails screwed his eyes tight shut in preparation, then snapped them open as a pair of metal hands seized him and lifted him bodily into the air.

"Tails!" Fear, an emotion the echidna was unused to feeling and one which was almost crippling in its unexpected intensity, exploded in every nerve of Knuckles' being. "You bastards, let him go!" Without thinking about it, Knuckles lunged forwards, fists striking not quite at random and destroying everything they came into contact with as the echidna whirled.

"Knuckles!" Out the corner of his eye, Knuckles saw the robot hauling Tails away and redoubled his efforts, struggling to get past the rows of bots now blocking his way.

Something cracked the echidna on the back of the head and he dropped to his knees, dazed. His last vivid image was of Tails screaming and thrashing around in his captor's hold, then the something struck him on the head again and he collapsed into darkness.

**Okay...so, 'nother chapter done :) If you read it, please review :D**


	17. The Central Chamber

**Kj: Heh. Okay, I'll clear up Knuckles' promise in this chapter for you ;)**

**FriedBrickWall: Glad to hear it :P (_Knuckles: Me too; at least Sonic's the one under attack now!_)**

**Saffra: (evil grin) Hey, what kind of writer would I be if I _didn't_ have cliffhangers:P**

**Samantha27: (jaw drops) Wow, that's gotta be the longest review I've ever had :O And yeah, I cheered when Tails whacked Sonic as well; when it happened I just sat back and said, "OH yeah!" :P Sonic's attitude towards Tails...yeah, I think he's only acting that way because he's past caring. He didn't feel like that before falling, that's for sure ;) I think there's even an unselfish motive behind acting like that; he doesn't want Tails or Knuckles to end up in the same situation as him, and so he'll say anything to get rid of them. As for how Tails is going to end up...you'll have to keep reading ;)**

**Treasurehunter: (blushes purple) Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter...is this update soon enough for you:P**

**BlueCheetah: (grins) Thanks. I love the idea of a Tails-Knuckles team...the sequels are kind of shaping up to be along those lines as well ;) **

**Ryopon: Thanks for the review; I'm pleased you're enjoying it :D**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: It's good to know I'm not the only one to lose the hits :( Wonder what caused it? Anyways, as requested – and since my muse of professional writings has taken a temporary leave of absence (I gotta get a beeper for her) – I have indeed written more ;)**

**Awdures: (grins) Yeah, I know what you mean; there's nothing more frustrating than getting into a story, getting as far as it's got and finding that it was last updated about six months ago ;) I'm glad you're enjoying it as well :)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11468_

_Well, that went about as well as I expected._

_Actually, it was a hell of a lot worse. I don't usually have time for such luxuries, but I really did feel bad for poor Tails. Basically, Sonic laid into him and blamed him for everything...something which I admit I hadn't foreseen. Tails left him with a bruise, though. I shouldn't find pleasure in that, but I do._

_We're also in some really deep crap here. I'm in this small chamber and...well, I don't know where Tails is, but by the Master Emerald, I intend to find out! On the subject of Tails, I can't believe he wanted me to make that promise. If we were outnumbered and outgunned, he wanted me to 'take care' of him and I know damn well what that means; he wanted me to kill him before Robotnik had a chance to torture or roboticise him. I told him that if it came to that, I'd 'take care' of us both. Me and my big mouth._

_On the other hand, I've no idea where they took the kid, so there's nothing holding me to that. But when I get out, if I find Tails is as beaten and defeated as Sonic, I'll keep that promise to him. If, by some miracle, we manage to escape, he'll have to come back with me. Like I told Sonic, I can't very well abandon him. Especially not now._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_How long since I've written in this thing? Two months? Three? Robotnik let me keep it, after having a long laugh at everything written inside. He found the page that Knuckles ripped out in the Casino Zones and...well, he wasn't happy about it. He thought it was some kind of attack plan that I'd ripped out before being transported here._

_Damn Knuckles. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised – the guy's incurably stubborn, after all – but I did NOT want to see Tails again! Or...no, that's not true, I did. I didn't want him to see me, not like this. The shock and – worse – the pity in his expression was too much._

_Did I mean everything I said to him? I don't know and that's the truth. I wouldn't say it again, so I guess that's some indication. And no, I'm not just saying that because the kid whacked me one! I never knew he had a backhand like that._

_Do I feel guilty? No. That sounds terrible, I know, but the truth is I don't feel much of anything anymore. It's all very well for Tails to say he'd never become like me in my situation; he can't know that until he's been there. I used to think I'd always beat Robotnik, and now look at me._

_Writing this hurts too much. I have to stop now before I pass out. Maybe I'll write more later._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_I want Knuckles. I'm scared and I want Knuckles. There. I said it. Or wrote it, or whatever. I never thought I would, but I have. Knuckles helped me out when Sonic went over the rails._

_I met Sonic again. He blames me for everything that's happened. Knuckles was right; he's changed. He tried to warn me but I didn't believe him. I've never thought of Sonic giving up before._

_I can't believe Knuckles said that about me though. I wonder if he really would trust me with his life? Probably; he doesn't say stuff like that lightly. That's scary when you think about it, and Sonic's right; what if I screw up with Knuckles like I did with Sonic? Knuckles keeps saying it's not my fault, but he's probably only saying that to make me feel better._

_I was grabbed and tossed in here by a robot. This place is dark and I'm curled up and it's too cramped to move; I can barely manage to write this. I don't know what they did with Knuckles. They hit him on the back of the head and he collapsed but I don't know where they took him after that. I know if he can he'll help me, but he might not be able to._

_What's going to happen to me?_

_--Tails_

Agony exploded in every nerve of Knuckles' body and the echidna groaned. He'd never experienced pain like this before, had no idea that so much pain existed in all the world, or that it could be crammed into one body. He lifted his head groggily and a white hot flare of pain shot down his left arm. Reaching out – he couldn't see a thing in this darkness – he touched his left hand gingerly with his right and the increase in pain almost made him black out.

_Broken_, he realised. _Not only broken, but broken in about two or three places from the feel of it._

Slowly – because any sudden moves made his arm jolt unbearably – Knuckles felt around. His questing hand encountered nothing but the floor, which meant he hadn't been crammed into one of those crates. That much at least was a relief.

Where was he? More importantly, where was Tails?

Groaning again, the echidna slammed a clenched fist into the floor. Sonic had been right about one thing; they should have left while they'd had the chance. Except...except they hadn't really had that chance, had they? No. No, Robotnik had known they were there all along; he was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

_Which is just as well, really, since you brought along enough stupidity for everyone. Right, Knuckles?_

Carefully, moving as gingerly as he could, Knuckles managed to stagger to his feet, swearing when he tried to put weight on his left ankle.

_Not broken, just sprained._ That much at least was a blessing; he could limp fast enough if he had to.

Swaying slightly, Knuckles lurched forward until he reached a wall, which he leaned on, putting all his weight on his good arm as he tried to take stock of his injuries.

_One arm, badly broken. One ankle, sprained. Cracked ribs, two, maybe three. One badly injured, possibly fractured collarbone. And the mother of all headaches._ Knuckles turned to lean back against the wall and touched his skull lightly. His hand encountered a swollen, sticky lump and he winced.

_Probably broke a few of my spines as well. There goes the gliding. Man, those bots must have really pounded on me after I was knocked out. What'd they do with the kid?_

Searing, blinding light ignited in the echidna's vision and he jerked away convulsively, bringing his good arm up to cover his eyes. The sudden movement caused him to overbalance and he crashed down onto his side, jarring his broken arm. Black pain rocketed through his entire body, and now he had a split lip to add to his troubles. Knuckles coughed, spat blood and coughed again, then forced himself to look up, straight at a bulky, powerful-looking robot.

"Omega?" he said stupidly, then shook his head almost immediately, realising his mistake. No, not Omega, but the same kind of model.

"You are summoned to the central chamber," the robot informed him, then grabbed the echidna – fortunately not by the broken arm – and hauled him upright. Jerking away reflexively, Knuckles glowered at it.

"Keep your filthy pincers off me, or I'll tear them off and ram 'em up your ass sideways!"

The robot didn't react in any way other than to seize him again in a grip so tight that the echidna felt his extremities start to tingle, then pulled him forward so roughly that Knuckles almost fell again.

"You are summoned to the central chamber," the robot repeated as it pulled him along, either not registering the echidna's limp or refusing to make allowances for it. "The doctor wishes to see you."

"Robotnik?" Knuckles picked up the pace until he was no longer being dragged. One chance...just let Robotnik blink once and he'd been in the departed shrines ten seconds before he knew he was dead. He'd probably die himself for the privilege, but it would be worth it. If he could rid Mobius of Robotnik once and for all, it would be worth it.

The echidna's thoughts of death and self-sacrifice lasted until they'd gone about a hundred yards, when three more robots fell in behind him, each one as heavily armed as the first. Knuckles grimaced. Now if he tried anything, he'd be dead before he'd twitched more than a couple of muscles.

The central chamber was vast, and – if the curvature of the walls and ceiling was anything to go by – egg-shaped. It was also bereft of everything except a black sphere in the middle, one which looked big enough to shelter an entire house. At the moment, however, it was sheltering Robotnik, who was perched on top of it – _like a sparrow on an ostrich egg_, the echidna thought. The image almost made him grin, but he swallowed the urge and settled for saying, "Where's Tails?"

Robotnik put on a hurt expression.

"Knuckles! You've been a guest in my home for hours and you won't even say hello?"

"Where is he?" Knuckles repeated levelly, determined not to rise; a large chunk of echidna honour centred around the concept of honouring both your guests and your host, and implying that you didn't was a serious insult in echidna society, something Knuckles was sure Robotnik already knew.

"The little pest tried to smash some of my most expensive robots. Do you realise how hard it is to get insurance on my creations? Especially given the rate you two and Sonic tend to plough through them. I understand several Mobian insurance companies now have a Sonic Enemy policy; if you're an enemy of the blue freak, they won't touch you with a ten foot pointy stick."

"You want someone to jab you with a ten foot pointy stick, Robotnik, I'll be happy to oblige. Where's Tails?"

"Well, really, I couldn't have him destroying everything I've worked so hard to build, could I? I took certain, ah, _steps_ to prevent that happening."

A combination of fear and anger surged through the echidna and he managed to stand up surprisingly straight.

"If you've laid so much as a _finger _on him, I swear I'll—"

"Oh, _you'll_ do no such thing." Robotnik steepled his fingers and regarded Knuckles over the tips. "Haven't you figured it out yet, Knucklehead? I've won. Sonic's too broken to even contemplate rising against me, and you very kindly brought his little sidekick right into my lap. Not only that, you've given me yourself, which means that the Master Emerald is left completely unprotected. But don't worry, Knucklebrain. I'll take good care of it. And your little buddy too; I always wanted a fox-fur."

Fury blazed through Knuckles, burning away most of the pain, and he took a step forward.

"You _dare_," he snarled, the rage in his voice unnerving even himself.

"Oh, but I do dare. And once I'm finished with you, you'll beg for the same fate, Knucklehead."

"If you think I'm going to stoop to your level by resorting to name-calling, you're sadly mistaken," Knuckles informed him through clenched teeth and then added, "you bastard."

"Is that _any_ way to speak to your master, Knuckles?"

"My _what_?" Knuckles said, his tone now deadly quiet.

"You heard me. You want to save the little fox cub? Submit now, or be destroyed."

"I am the Guardian of the Master Emerald, the master of Angel Island and the last of the echidnas." Knuckles' voice rang out clearly throughout the room. "I submit to _no one_."

"Shame," Robotnik sneered. "Ah well, I suppose Tails will understand. I doubt he'll blame you for choosing to save your own selfish pride over his life; after all, he probably knows you well enough by now. It's rather poetic in a pathetic sort of way, Knucklehead. The sullen loner, last survivor of a once great and proud race, finds himself developing a kind of affection and sense of responsibility towards the adopted little brother of his rival. What next? The once proud Knuckles, untouched by any lesser emotions, takes the poor little orphan under his wing and loses his pride and his reputation in one fell swoop, all to help the kid?"

Knuckles looked Robotnik squarely in the face.

"You got it in one," he said calmly, and was immensely gratified to notice the momentary discomfiture on the doctor's face. That bore out his theory; this conversation was either being recorded or transmitted directly to Tails, wherever he was.

Actually, now that he thought about it, _was_ Tails an orphan? He'd always assumed so, but he didn't know that much about him.

"Where's Tails?" he said again.

"Aren't you more concerned about Sonic? He's the one you came to rescue, after all."

"He's the one _Tails_ came to rescue. I just tagged along for the ride. Speaking of Tails, where are you keeping him?"

Robotnik sighed patiently.

"You really don't know how to take no for an answer, do you?"

"What, didn't Sonic tell you that?"

"No, but you mustn't condemn him for being reticent. He told me everything else. Of his own free will, I might add."

"He what?" Knuckles said, stunned. Sonic, a traitor? That hardly seemed possible. Even in the light of recent events, it hardly seemed possible.

"Oh yes. He told me all about your planned invasion of this fort." Robotnik shook his head sadly, clicking his tongue. "I haven't done anything recently to deserve such an unprovoked attack, so why come all this way?"

Knuckles took a long, deep breath.

"We...wanted to ask you something."

"_Ask_ me something!" Now Robotnik appeared, as far as Knuckles could tell, genuinely astonished. "You came all this way and suffered all this just to ask me a question?"

"You're the one who caused that suffering, Robotnik."

"It's true that I had a little disagreement with Sonic, yes. But then, I saved his life and he repaid me by trying to _kill_ me. It's not my fault he's such an ungrateful little wretch. Still, Knucklehead, I'll admit that you've got me curious. What could you _possibly_ want to ask so badly?"

"What is the...that thing in the sky?" Knuckles demanded hoarsely. Robotnik smirked.

"Now come on. A good magician never tells his secrets."

There was a short pause.

"You don't know, do you?" Knuckles said, staring in disbelief.

A muscle twitched in Robotnik's bulbous cheek once or twice before he said, "Of course I know, Knucklehead. But don't expect me to tell you. Such scientific knowledge is far above your puny reasoning capabilities."

"Liar." Knuckles' voice was working on automatic, his brain racing.

_It was all for nothing. Sonic's accident, the hunt...it was for nothing. Robotnik's not behind this; he's as clueless as we are._

"As you have been incredibly helpful to me, I'll pretend that you didn't say that."

"If this is about the time you lied about the Master Emerald—"

"Not at all. You told me about all the Chaos Emeralds, about what they did and how to harness their power."

"Ha!" Knuckles spat onto the floor. "In your dreams, maybe."

"So many of my dreams have already come true, Knucklehead." Robotnik pulled out the first Chaos Emerald. "This is almost too easy." He shook his head. "You didn't think I wouldn't plant bugs in every inch of this place, did you?"

"Every inch?" Knuckles spat more blood onto the floor. "Man, that must make going to the bathroom one hell of an embarrassment."

"Not as much as it is for poor Sonic." Now Robotnik was practically purring, savouring the victory. "Although I shouldn't speak too harshly of that little pest; like I said, he's proved to be a very good spy. Admittedly it took almost an entire month of torture before he cracked. I thought he'd break when he couldn't run anymore, but he lasted a surprisingly long time. Still, there's a level of pain and suffering that'll conquer anyone in the end." As if to illustrate the point, he waved a hand and a side door flew open to reveal Sonic's battered form, held between two robots.

Knuckles stared at him.

"You set me up? You lying...you traitorous..."

Sonic shook his head. "I'm sorry, Knux; believe me, I am so sorry but you haven't seen...you don't know what he does. He said once I'd persuaded you to tell me about the Emeralds, he'd let me go."

"And you _believed_ him?" Knuckles spat again, this time in pure contempt. Words – at least, Mobian words – failed him. "You _karagi pretman_ piece of _gujek_—"

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your old comrade?" At a gesture from Robotnik, one of the robots lunged forward and rammed its stunner into Knuckles' ribs. The echidna screamed – there was no way he could have stopped himself – and dropped to the floor, writhing in agony. Raising his voice, Robotnik continued. "Of course, I don't speak the echidna language, but what you were saying to poor Sonic didn't sound very polite."

"Wait 'til you hear what I'm gonna say to _you_, _murtel_," Knuckles said through gritted teeth.

"There'll be time enough for all that later. I did indeed agree to let Sonic go, although he's not being very specific. I told him—"

"I know what you told him." Amazingly, Knuckles managed to stagger to his feet and glower at Robotnik. "You told him you'd kill him."

Robotnik chuckled. "Not as stupid as you pretend to be, are you, Knucklehead? Yes, I did say something along those lines to him, but since I'm not by nature a murderer, I changed my mind."

"What?" Sonic stared at him.

"You've been very useful, both of you, and they say that misery loves company. You'll go down together. Not into the same cell, of course – I don't want you talking and getting any ideas about a jailbreak – but you'll be able to look at each other and realise that you're not the only one in this situation. In fact, maybe I should get other people in to look at you as well. Open it up as a tourist attraction, let Mobius see what's become of their national heroes."

"I'm no damn hero," Knuckles said flatly. Gawping...that would finish Sonic utterly. The echidna had retained some slim visage of hope; the hedgehog had retained enough of himself to give orders, so maybe the rest of him was still in there somewhere.

"My dear Knuckles, do you really think they care?" Robotnik said pleasantly, then flicked a finger. "No, don't answer that, it's of no real consequence. The point is that I heard everything you said to Sonic about these beauties. Including the fact that you have one hidden somewhere, and you will tell me where." He lifted the blue Chaos Emerald and pointed it at Knuckles. "But later. Now it's time for you to join Sonic in your new home. You really were incredibly stupid to trust him with the secrets of these things, but I suppose even you can work that one out."

A radiant turquoise light of such staggering beauty that even Robotnik seemed momentarily silenced lanced out from the end of the gem and struck Knuckles squarely in the chest, spreading rapidly over his body.

"As I kept telling Sonic," Robotnik sneered, "resistance is futile."

The light cleared from Knuckles, leaving him still on the floor, but with all injuries gone. Straightening up, fully healed, the echidna grinned broadly at the stunned Robotnik.

"And as _I_ kept telling Sonic, I'm not the trusting type."

**So...yet another chapter is added to the Finished pile :P If you read it, please leave a review :)**


	18. Escape

**Saffra: Thanks; I'm glad you approve ;)**

**Samantha27: Well...yeah, I kinda had some spare time (whistles innocently and shoves manuscript under table) As to all your points...keep reading and all shall be revealed in this chapter :P**

**FriedBrickWall: Okay, okay, you'll find out about Tails in this chapter! I did try writing him into the last part, but it didn't seem to fit :P (_Knuckles: And yeah, I remember swearing on the Master Emerald; why do you think I've stuck by the kid all this time?_) Oh, leave off, Knux; you know you like Tails really (_Knuckles: Hmph!_)**

**Ri2: What indeed? You'll have to wait a while to find out ;)**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: (grins) Looks like it indeed ;) As for updating...is this soon enough for you? ;)**

**Kj: Heh, thanks :P**

**BlueCheetah: (goes red) Wow...thanks :) I don't think I've ever got a review like that before (happy smile) (Now, if my agent can just convince the publishers, I may be able to finally start making a living at this!) Anyways (fights off Sonic-hating mob) Wait! Wait! At least wait until the end of the story and then try and kill him if you want! (No Sonic no more updates)**

**Treasurehunter: (returns glomp) Okay, okay, I'm writing, I'm writing :P**

**Ryopon: Alright, here ya go; you wanted to find out what happens next, you got it (weg)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11469_

_Ha! In your face! Call me Knucklehead again, Robuttnik! Go on, I dare you!_

_Ahem. What I mean is, my ploy worked to perfection. I wasn't sure if Robotnik had bugged the cells or not, but I knew he'd find out I'd been to see Sonic, and he'd torture him to find out what we'd said to each other. I couldn't lie about the Master Emerald, but I lied pretty well about the Chaos Emeralds. Not bad for a guy who suffers from compulsive honesty disorder._

_I'm healed, I'm going to find Tails and get him out, and if I have to drag him backwards by his ankles, so be it. The hell with Sonic; he betrayed us all just because he believed Robotnik would keep his word. Only a complete and utter fool would believe anything Robotnik said – even if they'd never met him before, it's easy to tell he's a liar – and...actually, on second thoughts, I think I'll stop that train of thought right there._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_YEAH! You little con artist, Knux! Oh man, I shouldn't be pleased about this since Robotnik's likely to take all this out on me later once Knuckles and Tails have left but I can't help it! Maybe Knuckles can get the kid out after all. I sure hope so._

_Tails, what I did...what I said...I had to. I know that may be hard for you to understand, little bro, but I had to. Knuckles'll look after you. You'll be safe with him._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_I think I've figured out where I am. I'm in one of those crates Knuckles'n'me saw earlier down in the prison. I'm all curled up but there still isn't enough room to move. I got a cramp in my left leg and I can't walk it out; it hurts so much!_

_Knux, where are you?_

_--Tails_

"You _liar_!" Robotnik's expression was one of shocked hurt, as though Knuckles had been his closest friend. "You..."

"Turnabout is fair play," Knuckles said flatly. "You didn't honestly think I believed you wouldn't find out what I'd said, did you?"

"Your brain has never been your greatest asset, Knuckles."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Sonic said. Knuckles shot him an icy stare.

"I'll deal with _you_ later."

"Can't wait," Sonic murmured very quietly. Knuckles glanced back at him sharply; there was the barest hint of a gleam in the hedgehog's eyes. Hope or anticipation?

"You wait!" Robotnik rummaged around in a compartment before extracting something and flourishing it at Knuckles. "See?"

Knuckles and Sonic exchanged looks. For a brief instant they were back on their old footing, then Sonic winced as one of his captors jerked him and the moment was lost.

"Doctor?" Knuckles said, his tone unusually polite.

"What, Knucklehead? Planning to beg for your life? You should have heard Sonic crying," Robotnik drawled. "He did give in in the end, although he wasn't happy about it. But he chose to submit of his own free will."

"Let me guess. The alternative was choosing of his own free will to be tortured further."

"Not at all. I'm not an unfair man, Knuckles. I always gave Sonic a choice before indulging in our little sessions. Either I would torture him, or I would hunt down and torture Tails." Robotnik smirked. "He always chose himself, no matter how many times we played that game. I did try to get him to pick Tails, but he never even hesitated, even when he had to trade his speed for the cub's safety. It was always the same, _me, leave him alone, torture me instead. _I imagine it put something of a dent in his day when he saw you two and realised it had all been for nothing, that Tails had walked voluntarily into my hands."

Knuckles stared at Sonic, momentarily speechless.

"You..." he managed at last, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Sonic...why didn't you—"

"What?" Sonic said flatly. "Tell you? Why? Would you have believed me, either of you?" He shook his head. "You were determined to think the worst of me and I let you. I hoped you'd tell Tails that there was no point coming here, that I was finished."

"I tried."

"You should've tried harder."

"Excuse me!" Robotnik's voice cut like a knife across the argument. "Excuse me, but I would like to get some torturing done today! You can argue about this later." He thrust the object towards Knuckles, who had suddenly gone poker-faced.

"That's a pella fruit," he said as politely as he could. "I don't think it would do me very much damage, Robotnik, even if you threw it at me."

"What?" Robotnik glanced at the orange fruit and hurled it away in disgust. Knuckles supposed that with their hard covering and general shape, a pella fruit might feel a lot like a Chaos Emerald if you were rummaging in a hurry.

The fruit hit the far wall and shattered. Knuckles winced. If he'd known it was fully ripe he wouldn't have been quite so bold; pella fruits started off soft and hardened from the outside in. When they were fully ripe – ie, rock-like all the way through – they became too heavy for the branch to bear and dropped, shattering on the ground and spreading their seeds that way. Knuckles vividly remembered racing through a grove when he'd been ten and having one crash down on his head. It had been two hours before he'd come round, and he'd been walking somewhat unsteadily for the rest of the day.

"Aha!" Robotnik pulled out the red Chaos Emerald and pointed it at Knuckles, who smirked.

"Go ahead, Robuttnik. Please."

Robotnik narrowed his eyes.

"Why does everyone think they're being clever when they call me that?"

"For the same kind of reason they think they're being clever when they call me Knucklehead," Knuckles answered. "Like I was saying, go ahead. I could use a little super strength right about now."

Robotnik hesitated.

"You're bluffing."

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" Whirling abruptly, Knuckles rammed his fists onto the bots behind, smashing them to pieces before leaping and landing with pinpoint accuracy on Sonic's guards, catching the hedgehog before he fell and slinging him over one shoulder. Holding him firmly there with one hand, he clambered up the side of the egg. He didn't waste time trying to wrestle the emerald away from Robotnik; instead he simply plunged his hand into the alcove and seized the first two emeralds it encountered, then backed off with a mocking bow. "Thanks. I owe you, and echidnas pay their debts. So I'll tell you this much; this fortress is gonna blow one day and you're gonna be in it. You're a dead...well, whatever kind of creature you are, you're a dead one."

Turning, he raced lightly down the side of the egg and bolted for the door, narrowly missing the grab Robotnik made for either him or Sonic – or both – and got clear just as it slammed down behind him.

"Where are we going?" Sonic demanded.

"Down to the prison. I think that's where Robotnik put Tails, and I'm not leaving without him." Knuckles picked up the pace, swerving around corners not quite at random and not slowing down until they reached the prison in question.

"Any chance you could go a little more smoothly?" Sonic said tightly. "All this bouncing around is damned uncomfortable!"

"Hey, having my face three inches away from your butt isn't exactly the highlight of _my_ day, either," Knuckles retorted. "If you want, I can dump you back in your nice little cell, leave you with Robotnik. You like that?" He considered. "Maybe I should do that anyway, after what you said to the kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sonic said waspishly. "Would you like me to have told him that Robotnik did all this to me because I refused to let him have Tails?"

"He'd have tortured you anyway. That was just an excuse."

"You think so? Okay. Why don't you explain that to the kid? Tell him that if I hadn't had to protect him, I might've been put out of this a lot sooner. Isn't it bad enough he already blames himself for the fall?"

"Where is he?" Knuckles said, somewhat evasively.

Sonic shrugged.

"No idea. Maybe you can get one of your friends to spy out the land or something, or if we could reach Robotnik's command centre and somehow find a way to hack into his mainframe, we might be able to locate him, or if—"

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"TAILS!"

"Or yelling is good," Sonic conceded, once the echoes had died away.

From up ahead, there came a plaintive answer. "Knuckles?"

Relief exploded in the echidna, the sheer intensity of it almost making him drop Sonic.

"Tails, where are you?"

"I'm here!" A brief flash of white showed against the darkness of one of the crates up ahead and the echidna deposited Sonic squarely against the wall and picked up the pace.

"Tails!" Knuckles seized the door and tore it from its hinges, reaching in. "Are you okay?"

"I guess." Tails gripped the offered hand tightly and emerged, looking somewhat shaken and limping heavily. Catching sight of Sonic, he bit his lip and turned away pointedly to look at the echidna. "Is _he_ coming with us?"

"Don't start. Yes, he is. Are you sure you're alright? Robotnik didn't hurt you?"

Tails shook his head.

"Uh uh. I got a cramp though and couldn't stretch it out, and one of the robots got some of my fur caught in the door when he locked me in—" one tail was actually looking a little ragged, the echidna noticed— "but they didn't actually hurt me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. The robots didn't hurt me either."

From his current position upside-down against the wall, Sonic snorted.

"_Sure_ they didn't. C'mon Knuckles; if it hadn't been for Robotnik, you'd be looking almost as hideous as me."

"I never looked as hideous as you, Sonic, even when we were both fully healthy."

"Ha. And another ha," Sonic informed him coolly. "You, Knuckles, could not get a date off a palm tree."

"I never wanted one. Come on." Knuckles hauled Sonic up and across his shoulder again, then looked back at Tails. "We have to get out of here. Quickly."

No longer inclined to argue, Tails broke into a shambling run, strongly favouring his aching leg.

"What about Robotnik?" Sonic demanded in a somewhat shaky voice; Knuckles was really racing now and the resultant bouncing was affecting the hedgehog's speech.

"The explosives on the containment chamber weren't the only ones the Chaotix planted, Sonic. This whole fortress is rigged to blow at the push of a button, and if we don't get out and get back by dawn, that button is gonna be pushed! I got a smaller remote on me; we can blow it from outside. Actually..." Knuckles paused and pulled out the remote in question, then threw it to Tails. "Go on. Take it and get clear as fast as you can; we'll catch up! Wait!" he added as Tails turned to speed away. Knuckles threw him a Chaos Emerald. "Take that as well. That way if we're...if Robotnik..."

He didn't have to finish the sentence. Tails stared at him, then nodded once and bolted down the passage, using his tails for added velocity.

"Leave me," Sonic grated through teeth clenched with pain. "I'll only slow you down."

"The hell with that." Knuckles started to run again. Under ordinary circumstances he was faster than Tails at full pelt, but carrying Sonic and trying not to subject him to any more pain than strictly necessary was almost halving his speed. Even if Robotnik did reclaim the emeralds they'd taken, he wouldn't get all the emeralds, not with Tails taking one and Knuckles having hidden another a long way from the fortress.

Doors flew open behind them and a small army of bots marched out, all armed to the teeth. Knuckles hesitated. Even Sonic in his prime hadn't been fast enough to outrun bullets.

Twisting around to see what was happening, Sonic grabbed Knuckles' shoulder, pushed himself off and shoved the echidna hard towards the exit in the same movement.

"Go! Get out of here! I'll hold them off; they'll go after me first!"

Knuckles stared at him in open disbelief.

"That's suicide."

Sonic glanced down to the side, then back up at the echidna. When he spoke, his voice was very quiet, yet somehow Knuckles heard every word.

"I'm dead anyway, Knux. I died the moment I couldn't run anymore. The kid used to look at me like I was some kind of god. Now he just..." Sonic shook his head.

"You don't expect me to believe you want his mindless adulation back again, Sonic."

"No...well, not really. But I want his pity even less."

In that, Knuckles was behind Sonic one hundred and ten percent. Sympathy and compassion was one thing, pity another. But still...!

"I'm not gonna abandon you again!"

Sonic held his gaze for a long time, then shook his head.

"You didn't," he said quietly. "Go on, Knuckles. Go, while you still can. And tell Tails I...tell him...oh hell, you know what I mean! Just tell him."

The echidna caught hold of Sonic's arm.

"Sonic, don't be so stupid! You don't have to do this!"

"Someone has to." When Knuckles refused to let go, the hedgehog shook his head again. "Look. I'm screwed, Knux. I can't run. I can barely _walk_. I always said I wanted to go out fighting and now I got that chance, I'm not gonna let you take it away from me to force me into a life I don't want. Tails is just a kid; I can't ask him to do it. And you, you have to get back. You have to get home, have to protect the Master Emerald—"

"_Damn_ the Master Emerald!" Knuckles snarled, not knowing the words were going to come out of his mouth until he heard himself say them. Automatically, he sucked in a scandalised breath, almost as if it had been someone else who'd spoken. He'd said those exact same words to his mother before, when he'd been no more than a five year old puggle who thought that foraging for termites was more fun than guarding some dumb old rock. His mother's response had been short, sharp, to the point and knocked him tail over snout into a pricklebush. It had taken him two hours to pull all the thorns out of himself.

It certainly made Sonic smile, _really _smile, and Knuckles was grateful for that much at least.

"Those four words are probably the last I ever expected you to say, Knucklehead, at least in that order. You have any idea how tempted I was to say them during that trip of ours?" When the echidna still hesitated, Sonic thrust his journal into Knuckles' hands. "Give Tails that as well, and tell him it's from me." Knuckles still didn't move and Sonic closed his eyes with a grimace. "Knuckles, for Tails' sake, _will you go_!"

The mention of Tails convinced Knuckles, as Sonic had known it would. Reluctantly, glancing over his shoulder every step and feeling like the lowest of the low, Knuckles broke into a run, gradually increasing his speed until he was going full pelt, not sure if he was trying to run away from the fortress, the bots or Sonic. He didn't stop until he was outside, and then it was only because he'd met Tails coming the other way almost as fast, and the resulting collision knocked both of them flying.

"Ow!" Tails sat up, both hands pressed over his snout, massaging tenderly. Several feet away, Knuckles was doing the same thing to his chest.

"Sonic was right, Tails; your head really _is_ a lot harder than it looks."

"Sonic!" His own injuries forgotten, Tails leapt to his feet. "Where is he? Did you drop him?"

"He dropped himself," Knuckles retorted, then saw the fox's stricken expression and relented. "If I tell you he's still down there, are you going to rush off on some crazy rescue mission?"

"I gotta go save him!"

Knuckles was ready and caught him as Tails blew past, keeping well out the way of the fox's suddenly flailing fists and feet.

"Just checking," he commented.

"We gotta get him out, Knux; he'll die in there!"

"I know," Knuckles said very quietly. "I know, Tails. And so does he."

Tails abruptly went limp and stared at him.

"Knux, you don't...you can't..."

Sensing that the danger was past, Knuckles released Tails and pulled out the journal.

"He told me to give this to you. And he told me to say that he..." Knuckles floundered, the exact word feeling too strange and alien in his throat for him to say it. Echidnas had no word for _love_ in their native language, not because they were incapable of it but because they believed more in showing it than simply talking about it.

"He what?" Tails said.

"He said he was sorry for everything he said back there. He wants you to know that he didn't mean it, that he only said it because he wanted to drive you away before Robotnik caught you."

"He did?" Tails stared at the journal morosely. "Sonic really is a hero, right Knux?"

"Yeah," Knuckles said quietly. "Yeah, kid, he is."

"He started writing again," Tails said, leafing through the journal. "Guess Robotnik let him have some ink. It's a weird colour, though, look." He showed the latest entry to Knuckles. "I've never seen that kind of reddish-brown ink before."

There was a long silence.

"That's not ink, Tails," Knuckles said very quietly at the end of it.

There was a longer, more terrible silence.

"You mean—" Tails began, looking ill.

"Yeah." Knuckles rested a hand on Tails' shoulder, nudging gently. It was all he knew how to do; the echidna way of comforting friends and family. "Tails, we have to do it. We have to blow the place. Otherwise Robotnik will escape and everything the three of us have been through will have been for nothing." The thought occurred to Knuckles that it had already been for nothing, but he kept that particular gem to himself.

Tails took a deep breath, then nodded once, shakily, and handed over the remote.

"Do it, Knux. Do it quick before they catch Sonic again."

The echidna started to depress the button, then stopped as he caught sight of a familiar machine flying away.

"Robotnik!" Before Knuckles could stop him, Tails had leapt into the air, namesakes beating furiously. "You're mine!"

"Tails, _no_!" Torn, frozen in an agony of indecision, Knuckles hesitated; if he blew the fortress now, Tails would get caught in the blast.

Then he caught sight of the figure hanging off Robotnik's carrier and promptly forgot about everything, explosives included.

_Sonic? How the hell...how did he..._Staring openly, the echidna watched as Tails saw the hedgehog and abruptly changed course, grabbing Sonic and pulling him off. For one long, terrible moment, Knuckles was honestly afraid that the fox was going to drop him – accidentally or otherwise – then Tails seemed to secure his grip and pull away. As the echidna watched, something happened, something too high up for him to see, and Tails started to plummet.

The shock kicked Knuckles into action and he raced forward, timing his leap into the air to coincide with Tails' fall and catching the fox – and, indirectly, Sonic – neatly in his arms and flaring his spines to slow his own descent. With the combined weight of Sonic and Tails, the landing was rougher than usual and the resultant jolt sent all three of them sprawling. Knuckles shoved Tails behind a boulder, ducked behind another one and then hit the remote.

The explosion and sheer power was more intense than anything Knuckles had ever experienced – with the possible exception of when he'd been fired out of that giant cannon – and he cowered under it, bringing both hands up to protect his head. Turning in the aftermath to see if Tails was okay, the echidna saw the fox get to his feet and felt his blood run cold.

"No! Don't!" Knuckles yelled over at Tails, raising his voice over the steadily increasing rumble. "Get back down! Wait for the vacuum!"

"The _what_?" Tails shouted back, and then it hit, wrenching his grasp off the rock and buffeting him back towards the devastation.

"Tails!" Digging his spikes into the rock, Knuckles reached out and managed to seize the fox by the wrist as he flew past, and hung onto him grimly.

A few minutes later, Knuckles got to his feet, pulling Tails – who seemed determined not to let go – with him.

"Two parts to an explosion, kid," Knuckles said, his voice sounding faint in his ears. "First part, the part everyone knows about; the part that pushes heat and air out. Second part, the one nobody thinks about; the vacuum effect when the air rushes back in again."

Tails stared at him dully, then nodded in an absent fashion and looked around, dazed.

"Where's Sonic?"

Knuckles shook his head slightly, privately admiring the kid's loyalty.

"He fell over there. It's okay, Tails," he added, "he rolled up against a rock ledge. The blast didn't get him." Knuckles glanced over at Sonic's body and was amazed to see the hedgehog move. For one terrible, hopeful moment, he thought Sonic was going to stand up and dust himself off, just like always. He certainly tried, but his feet gave way underneath and spilled him sideways onto the rock.

Knuckles was at his side in an instant, Tails close behind.

"Sonic?" Knuckles said. "Are you going to be alright?"

A bubble of blood formed at the corner of Sonic's mouth and burst, his breath rattling in his throat as he tried to speak. Knuckles crouched closer.

"Robotnik? Is he...did we...did we win?"

Knuckles didn't need to look at Tails to answer.

"Yeah. He's gone."

There was a ghost of that familiar grin on Sonic's face as he let his head drop back. For some reason, that made Knuckles feel even worse.

"Liar. I saw him. I hitched a ride...saw him...leave in that...in his machine. We didn't win. We lost."

"We didn't lose," Knuckles told him quietly. "We didn't kill Robotnik, but that doesn't mean we lost."

"Alive. Robotnik."

"Yeah. Yeah, he's still alive, Sonic, but he's gonna lie low for a while."

"Tails?"

"I'm here, Sonic." Tails grabbed one of Sonic's hands and tried not to wince as the hedgehog seized his in a death grip and focused on something beyond either Knuckles' or Tails' vision.

"Hey little bro. Whaddaya say you and me take a trip to ol' Knucklehead's island, see if we can't rope him into this little journey?"

Tails shot an alarmed look at Knuckles, who mouthed the word _Delirious_ and shook his head.

Sonic's gaze shifted, and he focused on the echidna.

"Knux? That you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Sonic, it's me."

Sonic grinned at him. It was a grin that would have been less intimidating if his teeth hadn't been stained with his own blood. But it was still the same cocky Sonic grin.

"Guess you were right all along, huh Knucky?" He shook his head, the grin fading. "Guess I didn't learn fast enough..."

His body jerked spasmodically, back arching as he let loose a sudden pain-racked scream, then fell back gasping and sweating.

Both Tails and Knuckles stayed beside him late into the night.

**Okay, that's it for this chapter. There's gonna be one more and then it's on to the sequel! If you read, please review :)**


	19. Return to the Island

**Treasurehunter: Yep, it was pretty quick :P I tend to go that way when I'm writing; it's sluggish for the first part and then when the end's in sight I just wanna get it finished ;) I do wait on reviews though, so the faster they come up, the faster I update :P**

**PyroHedgehog4ever: Ah, the Void, the Void, the ever-endless Void! You'll find out more about that in the sequel :P**

**Samantha27: Yep, Knuckles is indeed the hero (_Knuckles: Finally, someone gets it!_) And as for Sonic...well, all shall be revealed in this chapter ;)**

**Saffra: Heh, I know what you mean :P It was kind of a weight off my mind when Sonic semi-recovered ;)**

**FriedBrickWall: Yeah, he did it for Tails. And yes, this is the final chapter...kinda sad but it means I can work on the sequel (which has been buzzing around on my computer and bugging me for ages) :P**

**Awdures: Thanks; I liked the emerald switch as well ;)**

**Kdizz: Heh, I'd never have guessed :P And yep, it's updated!**

**Ryopon: Yeah...I think Sonic and Tails would both agree with you there ;) And I'll try!**

**TC Chan: (blushes red) Wow...thanks :D I've had a lot of fun with this story...and yeah, everybody seems to like the part about Tails punching Sonic out :P Knuckles...well, he's my favourite character, so it kinda stood to reason that he was going to have a major part in this (and the next ones as well ;)) but I'm glad you liked him in this :P**

**Matri90: Thanks :)**

**Ri2: Well...large explosions have vacuums, yeah. Like Knuckles said; the first part is when the air's pushed out, and the second part is when it rushes back in to fill the gap. Usually if there's anything left standing, the vacuum takes care of it ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11470_

_Good news, we have three Chaos Emeralds. Bad news, Robotnik has four. Tails is...well, he's fine, and so's Sonic, or at least as fine as can be expected. He still looks like he's been put through an acid-soaked mangle, but he's alive. Robotnik's fortress was destroyed, although Robotnik himself escaped. We're right back to square one, except Sonic is still crippled and torn up, both physically and mentally. I guess I understand why he said what he said to Tails, but some of that was from the heart. He's genuinely changed. I suppose he has every right to after what's happened, but that doesn't make it any easier._

_And me? I'm back. Back on Angel Island, back home, back where I belong. Tails is with me, although Sonic flatly refused to come along. I don't know where he is or what he's doing now. Tails has gone out searching but so far there's been no sign of him. I can't help wondering if Robotnik hasn't caught up with him and finished the job he started._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_Dear Diary_

_Sonic's missing. I dunno why I'm worried when he was so mean to me but I am. I've flown around but I can't find him anywhere. And Angel Island is currently over the Lazuli Ocean, so I'm stuck on it until it flies over land again. Luckily that won't take too long._

_I don't exactly miss Sonic though. That sounds really mean, I know, but it's true; I'd feel more lost and alone if Knuckles left me. But I always notice Sonic's not there, and it's weird to think of him out there without me. We've been a team for so long that it feels like a part of me's missing. I hope he's okay. We'll be over the Emerald Hill Zone soon, where I grew up. I'll hop off then and look until I find Sonic, then I'll bring him back to Angel Island._

_--Tails_

The hot morning sun lanced down on Knuckles like a laser, and the echidna growled in irritation. Dragging himself to his feet, he moved down the steps of the shrine to the shade of a tree and sat down there, mind turning over.

Dammit, where was Sonic? Knuckles could understand the hedgehog's not wanting anyone's pity, but would it kill him to make contact, just to let them know he was still alive?

The Chaotix had found them next to Sonic and had helped bring him back to their base. There had been one slight problem when Amy – who had heard about his predicament from someone, and Knuckles fully intended to swat Charmy as soon as the bee owned up – had shown up and begged to be allowed to nurse Sonic, but Tails had sent her on her way with several choice words, some of which even the CDA had never heard before. For once, she hadn't argued, just left. Knuckles suspected she was privately rather glad to be relieved of the duty.

_Everyone wants heroes, but they don't want them to stick around._ Who had said that? Knuckles couldn't for the life of him remember, but he rather thought it might have been his father.

They'd woken up one morning a couple of days after the attack to find Sonic gone, and none of the Chaotix – not even Espio – would tell them where. Knuckles had eventually given up trying to persuade them and gone back to Angel Island with Tails in tow. The fox had hung around for a couple of weeks and then left. Knuckles didn't blame him; he wasn't a very congenial host, and he knew the kid had been worried about Sonic, just like he knew Tails would be back before too long.

Knuckles gave one last lingering look at the Master Emerald, then set off into the woods in search of some fruit. The grapes were just coming into season; maybe he'd find a few ripe ones.

Some thirty minutes later, Knuckles had just finished breakfast when someone spoke up from behind him.

"Can I see the Master Emerald?"

"No," Knuckles said automatically, then froze in position as the voice and words registered. "Say that again?"

"What's wrong, Knux? All that cosmic duty dull your hearing?"

Knuckles turned.

"Sonic?" He shook his head, a slow grin lighting up his face. "Jeez man, where the hell have you been? I've been—" He coughed and broke off.

"You been what, Knucky?" Sonic shifted his weight. Someone – possibly Tails – had rigged up a pair of crutches that were taller than the hedgehog, with the end result that Sonic's ruined feet – or what was left of them – were supported some two feet above the ground. The crutches themselves culminated in large multi-hinged platforms, which bent according to the weight distribution. Shifting that weight back slightly now, Sonic smirked at Knuckles. "Not _worried_, surely?"

Knuckles folded his arms across his chest and fixed Sonic with his best glare, a glare that was unfortunately lessened by the grin on his face.

"I let you get away with calling me that before, Sonic, because you happened to be on the verge of death. Now you're going to live, the rules are back in place."

"Party pooper."

Knuckles snorted and didn't answer.

"You're depressed," Sonic remarked. "I can always tell, Knux; you scrunch up your snout and glare at the floor without blinking. What's bugging you? We _won_. _You_ won."

"It was all for nothing."

Sonic shook his head.

"You freed a load of Robotnik's prisoners, destroyed his base and forced him to lie low for who knows how many months while he collects his armies to him and finds a site to construct a new fortress. I don't call that nothing. Especially the part about freeing the prisoners."

"Maybe not, but we're still no nearer to finding out what that void thing is."

"Yeah." Sonic subsided for a few moments. "You seen it recently? Or not seen it, or whatever?"

"Not a sign," Knuckles admitted. "It can teleport between places, remember? Could be anywhere by now."

"Where are the Chaos Emeralds?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Tails has one, I have two, you have one and Robotnik has the other three."

"Yeah?" Sonic looked around. "Where is Tails, anyway?"

"Looking for you," Knuckles said succinctly. "Speaking of which, what the hell are you doing here? If it comes to that, how'd you get here, anyway?"

"I've been staying with the Chaotix. Mighty persuaded Charmy to fly me up. Does he always yammer on like that?"

"Incessantly. You must've wanted to come pretty badly to take a lift from that little squirt. What do you want?"

Sonic shifted, looking awkward.

"Robotnik has the healing emerald," he said abruptly. "I don't particularly want to hobble back and ask him to pretty please use it to patch me up. Then I remembered what you said about the Master Emerald, how it harnesses the power of the Chaos ones. I thought, there's probably no chance ol' Knucklehead will go against his sacred duty just for the sake of one hedgehog who wound up hurt through his own carelessness—no, don't argue," Sonic added, although Knuckles hadn't even opened his mouth and had no intention of doing so either. "But then I thought, there's even less chance of him doing it if I don't ask at all. So...whaddaya say?"

The echidna hesitated, caught in a quandary. If he hadn't been in such a hurry...if he hadn't written Sonic off as dead so soon, Tails might have found the robot that had captured him. The torture could have been avoided, or at least stopped much earlier...

Knuckles gave a curt nod. This went against the grain on so many levels he didn't even want to think about it, but one thing was for sure; he wasn't the same as he'd been a year ago when Sonic and Tails had showed up. And Sonic's integrity was beyond question; the guy was many things, but he wasn't a traitor. At least...he wasn't all the time Robotnik didn't torture him to the point of death.

"Follow me."

He set off along one of the easier routes, although to his surprise, Sonic's crutches enabled him to walk at an almost normal pace.

"Tails rig those up for you?" he asked, as they rounded a corner and started the climb towards the Master Emerald shrine.

Something flickered in Sonic's eyes as he answered, "Yeah." He didn't seem inclined to elaborate, and Knuckles didn't push it.

"Whoa." They'd reached the shrine and Sonic stopped to stare. "This place is amazing!"

"Yeah. Needless to say, you won't breathe a word about it to anyone on the outside."

"Huh? Oh. No. Course not." Sonic shot a look at Knuckles. "So what now?"

"Out the crutches. I don't know what kind of effect Chaos energies will have on them if they're in contact with your flesh, but I don't want to take the chance."

Sonic hesitated, then reluctantly lowered himself right to the ground, clenching his teeth as red-hot pain blazed up his legs. Ignoring the hedgehog's expression, Knuckles lifted the crutches and moved them several yards away, then returned to the Master Emerald. Reaching out, he hesitated and turned back to Sonic.

"There's something you should know."

"If it's about how you failed to bench press some mountain, Knux, I'll understand."

The echidna rolled his eyes.

"I've never used the Master Emerald before. I'm ninety nine percent sure I can harness the healing energies, but if I fail you might be zapped with one or more of the other Chaos powers."

Sonic shrugged.

"Think I care?" He hesitated. "But...just outta interest, what do the other six do? And I'm not bugged or being coerced into asking that question, so you can be honest this time!" he added.

Knuckles laughed, but the laugh had a touch of sadness in it. The old Sonic would have viewed the risk of getting it wrong as...

"C'mon," Knuckles said, in an atrocious impersonation of Sonic, "it'll be fun."

"Yeah, but...just in case."

The echidna rolled his eyes.

"Alright, fine. The first one is a healer. The second one is a teleporter. The third can give life and a free will to anything it touches, the fourth makes whoever holds it super-strong, the fifth makes them invincible, the sixth grants them super-speed and the seventh truth; whoever holds it can see through all lies and deceptions. That's the one I substituted," he added. "I didn't fancy the idea of Robotnik figuring out what I was up to."

"Did you know the place was bugged?"

"Not until Robotnik told me, no. But I didn't want to take chances; bugs or no bugs, if he found out I'd spoken to you..." Knuckles let the sentence trail off meaningfully, and Sonic shivered.

"Yeah. Alright, Knux. Do it."

Knuckles placed both hands on the Master Emerald and focused inward, dropping into the source of power. As Sonic watched, a vivid green glow so bright it was almost blinding flowed over the echidna, until it was hard to tell where the Master Emerald ended and Knuckles began. The hedgehog opened his mouth to ask if Knuckles was okay, then the glow hit him and the words turned into a soundless gasp as the air seemed to be sucked out of his lungs. He had just enough time to wonder if this was what people caught in the nothing-void felt like before he dropped to the ground, writhing as the terrific pressure increased before finally greying out, face down, still conscious but feeling detached from his body.

After what seemed like hours, but which was in reality only a few minutes, the glow cleared away and took the terrible pressure with it.

"Argh," Sonic commented, voice muffled against the ground.

"It does pack one hell of a kick," Knuckles admitted. "Sorry. I should've thought of that before I gave you that much." Turning away from the Master Emerald, he glanced at Sonic, who was now fully healed and looking exactly as he had before he'd gone over the rail. Reaching down, the echidna helped him to his feet. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, all things considered." Hardly daring to believe it, Sonic tested one foot, then another, then grinned so broadly that Knuckles felt his own lips stretch into an answering grin.

"Where's Tails? Oh right; you don't know." Sonic shook his head, still grinning. "Man, is he gonna get a surprise."

"Yeah? Well, here." Knuckles retrieved Sonic's sneakers from where he'd hidden them and tossed them over to the hedgehog. Sonic's eyes widened.

"Knux, where'd you ever get—"

"You told me to take them away, remember?" Knuckles shrugged. "I thought they might be useful to Tails, but since he's gone, you may as well have 'em back."

Sonic pulled them on, almost fumbling the straps in his haste, then straightened up.

"Oh Knux, I could kiss you!"

"And then I could break your jaw."

Sonic's grin widened and he broke into a run, gradually increasing his speed until he was a blur. Screeching to a stop in front of Knuckles, his grin now threatening to take in his ears.

"Knuckles, if you...if there's ever anything I can..."

"Can it, hedgehog," Knuckles said shortly, "the humble gratitude thing doesn't suit you. I did it for Tails more than you; given the way you've been acting lately—"

Sonic waved a hand.

"Uh huh, yeah, yeah, I know, big jerk hedgehog beating up on the little fox cub. So over that now, though. Where's Tails?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"I told you twice before, I don't know. He mentioned going to the Emerald Hill Zone; maybe you should try there."

"On my way." Sonic turned and raced away, then came back just long enough to pull the echidna's arm upright and high-five him before pelting off again.

For a few minutes, Knuckles just stood there, one hand still raised stupidly where Sonic had left it, then he rolled his eyes and lowered it again. Still, something in Sonic's mood had been infectious, and the echidna found himself grinning as he climbed the steep path towards the Master Emerald. Maybe it was going to be a good day after all.

**Okay, it's finished. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading and reviewing (especially reviewing!) If you want to find out what happens next, check out the sequel _Caves of the Ancients _(the first part of which was published at the same time as this chapter, so it shouldn't take too long to appear :P) While you're waiting, please review :)**

**And a big thankyou to all of you who reviewed this final chapter:**

**TC Chan: You did? Really? (squirms embarrassedly) Wow...thanks; a review like that really makes my day :P**

**Samantha27: Thanks...I'm glad you enjoyed it :D**

**FriedBrickWall: Heh...okay ;)**

**Kdizz: Everything is indeed okay again. At least until the sequel ;)**

**Ryopon: (smiles) Thanks :) More has come ;)**

**Saffra:D Yeah...it is kinda surprising that Knux would do something like that for Sonic. Guess looking after Tails had a good influence on him ;)**

**PyroHedgehog4Ever: You'll have to wait and see...**

**Treasurehunter: Okay, okay; you want the sequel, you got it!**

**Parslie: Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Zaln: Heh. Oddly enough there was a part written for this where Knuckles gave Tails fighting lessons. I scrapped it because – like you said – it detracted from the story too much ;) Still, thanks for such a good review :D Hope you enjoy the sequel as well :P**

**MSmk3: (blushes) Thanks so much for that; I'm really glad you enjoyed it :D**

**Shadow-spawn180: (smiles) Thanks :D As to Tails and Sonic's relationship...well, you'll have to read the sequels to find out ;)**


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